TUAOA Hanyou Memories
by Chewie Cookies
Summary: Stripped of almost all of his memories, Naruto has been turned into a hanyou. All he remembers is a certain lavender-eyed beauty, and the secret love he felt for her. Now, this girl, Hinata Hyuuga, must help him regain what he has lost.
1. Lost, but not Forgotten

Hanyou Memories

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Naruto franchise, or any of its characters.

Author's Note: Here's my retake on Love: Lost, then Found Again. Hopefully, this one does better than the last one.

Chapter One

_Lost, but not Forgotten_

Hinata was out in one of the training grounds, taking her anger, her _rage_, out on one of the training posts. Her crush, no, not a crush, the man she loved, Uzumaki Naruto, had gone missing almost a month ago, shortly after seeing her again for the first time in three years. That wasn't why she was so angry, though.

The fact is, a lot of the people of the village, upon hearing that the 'demon brat' was missing, began celebrating! Hinata damned those people to the lowest pits of hell, in her mind at least. Jinchuuriki or not, Naruto was an all-around good person, as she and the other members of the Rookie Eleven were aware. When they had all reached Chuunin, Tsunade had called them together to inform them of Naruto's status as the Kyuubi's prison, and let them know of the duty that comes with being Chuunin or higher of having to help restrain him, should he ever lose control of the beast within the village.

Almost all of them were saddened to hear that Naruto had to carry such a burden, and the ones that weren't saddened, were angry, due to the fact that the people of the village had treated him like crap for such a stupid reason. They had all made a vow, then and there, to make sure they treated Naruto like the hero he was, from then on.

But now, their hero was missing. They had searched high and low for him, but there were no results. Hinata wanted to cry, but she refused to. Crying wouldn't help her find Naruto.

She was awakened from her thoughts, though, when an enormous explosion of chakra sent rubble into the sky a great distance away. Immediately, she turned on her Byakugan, and saw chakra similar to Kyuubi's, but without the malicious intent that was reported to accompany it in events when Naruto loses control. Seconds later, an object, no, a _body_, came hurtling in her general direction, appearing to have come from the explosion itself.

Hinata, shaking herself out of her shock, sped over to where she saw the body land. As soon as she got there, she gasped at what she saw. Naruto was lying face-first on the ground, naked, with nine five-foot long fox tails coming out of the base of his spine, and a pair of fox ears atop his head, replacing the human ears that were no longer there.

She quickly turned him over, checking his neck for a pulse, and the rest of his body for injuries, and was grateful to whatever gods were listening that he was only suffering from chakra burns.

She was startled, yet again, when he began to groan a bit, showing that he was regaining consciousness. She quickly took her coat off, and wrapped it around him, trying to avoid the chakra burns. "It's going to be okay, Naruto-kun. It's me, Hinata. I'm going to get you to Hokage-sama, so she can treat you," she said softly.

"Hinata... Thank you..." he murmured, falling unconscious again, and subconsciously snuggling into her arms as she carried him, causing her to blush a bit.

Hinata quickly made her way to the village, heading to the Hokage tower...

A few hours later, at the hospital...

Hinata and the other rookies sat outside of the hospital room Naruto was situated in, waiting to hear what had happened to him. Inoichi Yamanaka had entered earlier, but neither he nor Tsunade had come back out.

After a few minutes more of waiting, Tsunade and Inoichi came out. Tsunade then decided to tell them the status of their friend. "He's going to be okay, physically. He'll be in pain for a day or two, so be gentle with him, but...he's lost a huge portion of his memories," she said, causing the group to become relieved, then saddened.

The legendary medic then turned to Hinata. "He remembers you, mostly, Hinata. From what I can tell, he loved you, but was afraid to pursue a relationship with you, due to how your clan normally treats you, so he held onto what memories of you he could, along with his memories of how to talk, eat, walk, ninja techniques, and other necessities. Also, 'you-know-who' has been completely absorbed into his being. Unfortunately, this has changed Naruto into a hanyou, so he's probably going to get more grief from the villagers than before. Please, all of you, try to be there for him, because he needs you all now more than ever." Tsunade bowed, then gestured for them to enter, which they all did.

Naruto looked fairly depressed at first, and didn't react to them entering for a bit, simply staring at his hands in his lap. Eventually, Akamaru trotted to his side and whined a bit, gently butting his big head against Naruto.

The former jinchuuriki blinked for a second, then raised his head to look at everybody in the room, his eyes lingering for a moment on Hinata. "You're...my friends, right?" he asked, sounding nervous. Everybody nodded, some of them holding back tears upon seeing their friend in such a state.

One of Naruto's tails reached out to Hinata, slowly, as if nervous, and rested on her shoulder. "I loved you, right? I can still feel how I felt, somehow, but I want to know," he murmured.

Hinata reached up to her shoulder, and gently rubbed the tail there, causing Naruto to purr, surprising the group. "I...I really don't know, Naruto-kun. Tsunade-sama thinks you did, but didn't tell me because of how my family would react," she said, moving closer to Naruto to put her hand on his shoulder, hoping to comfort him.

She quickly took note of his new features. His tails were covered in warm, soft, bushy fur, that was similar in color to his hair, and his new ears nearly blended in with the spikes of hair on his head. They would have been invisible if it weren't for the white tips, but even those were hard to see against his brightly-colored hair.

Naruto surprised everybody with his actions again, when he gently butted his head against Hinata's stomach, rubbing said body part gently against her as he purred loudly.

Sakura smiled slightly. "Looks like Naruto's become a hanyou in more than appearance. If what I've read is correct, I'd have to say he wants to date you, Hinata!" she giggled, then turned to the door, and said, "I'll report to Tsunade-shishio about this change in behavior. It's possible she didn't notice it, since she didn't bother telling us. I'll also see about getting him a place to stay, since that damned landlord of his burned his things and sold his flat. Who knows? He might wind up staying with you and Kurenai-sensei!"

Neji simply nodded at the scene. "He will treat you well. I approve of your budding relationship with him, Hinata-sama. Just try not to have coitus with him too soon," he chuckled.

Naruto's ears perked up for a second. "Coitus? Is that something you can eat? It sounds tasty!" he exclaimed, his stomach rumbling loudly a few seconds afterwards, followed quickly by Hinata fainting. Fortunately, Naruto caught her before she hit the floor, and placed her unconscious form next to him on the bed. "She must be pretty tired to have passed out so easily. I'll keep her comfy until she wakes up," the hanyou boy stated, covering Hinata up with his tails while snuggling with her slightly. He then looked pointedly at everyone in the room, and said, "Go away. We're bonding."

Neji sighed. "Just don't mate with her, please. It would cause both of you a lot of trouble at this point," he muttered, silently cursing the clan of his origin.

One of Naruto's ears flicked. "If she wants to make love with me, it's our business. Her hateful clan won't touch her," he said with an air of finality, then growled, "I will protect her." He then stunned the bewildered Hyuuga prodigy by holding out the same fist he had used to make a vow on Hinata's blood three years ago.

"You...you remember?" Neji asked, startled.

Naruto nodded, and added, "I remember my promise to you, too, now. I intend to keep it, so hopefully, Hinata-chan will be able to remain safe from that seal." The hanyou then gestured for them to leave, turning his attention to the unconscious Hinata. "I will try to remember the rest of you through my memories of her. But for now, I want to be able to properly bond with Hinata-chan, here, and I just don't feel comfortable snuggling with her while people watch," he said, smiling fondly at the sleeping heiress.

Shino nodded, and discreetly sent one of his Kikai to stay on Naruto, so he wouldn't be lost again anytime soon. "We'll bring you some ramen later. Why? Because that's your favorite food, and because Teuchi-san and Ayame-san have been worried about you as well," the insect wielder said, smiling a bit under his coat.

Kiba grinned. "You're probably pretty hungry, too, after being kept wherever you were!" he added.

Lee grinned, then looked to the big-boned member of their group. "Chouji-kun! We should see if Naruto-kun can eat more ramen than his previous record now! He could possibly beat our combined scores in a ramen-eating contest, with his new level of metabolism!" he exclaimed.

Shikamaru sighed, then began ushering the others out. "Come on, everyone. Naruto probably wants some time with his new girlfriend right now, and we're intruding, as troublesome as it is. He's not going anywhere anytime soon, so let's just go," he said, closing the door as he and the others left. It didn't seem like Naruto cared about what they had been saying, but part of the reason he was smiling so warmly was because the voices of his friends were bringing back a few memories, little by little...

About half an hour later, in the Hokage's office...

Tsunade sighed. "So Danzou-teme was the one behind this. I knew it! If he weren't already dead, I'd be killing him right now!" she suddenly shouted, then pounded her fist on her desk hard enough to shake the room.

Shizune, who was standing nearby, smiled sadly. "At least the only people that chakra blast killed were members of ROOT. The prisoners and all the animals and people above ground were completely unharmed, oddly enough. It makes me wonder if Kyuubi was really as evil as we all thought he was, since Naruto-kun obviously wasn't the one to perform that chakra-poisoning technique," she said, then brought a finger to her lip and wondered out loud, "Maybe Naruto-kun made it have a change of heart? He seems to have done that for a lot of people..."

"Oink!" Tonton squealed enthusiastically, liking the idea that Naruto might have brought the era-old demon over to their side before it had gone.

Tsunade frowned. "Somehow, I don't think the council will see things that way, or at least not the civilian side. Not that they'll be allowed to the meeting, but they'll still cause problems, regardless," she muttered, then heard a knock on the door, and called out, "If it isn't important, you'd better leave now! I'm really not in a good mood!"

"I'm sorry to bother you, Godaime-sama, but I assure you, it is urgent, and something that should wind up putting you in a better mood when it's over and done with," Hiashi's voice called out through the door.

Tsunade smiled. "Come in, Hiashi-sama. If it's what you were asking about before, then I'd be happy to help you shove the clan politics in those elders' faces," she said happily.

Hiashi entered, the stoic look that was plastered to his face falling to show a smile behind it. "It's more than that, Tsunade-sama. Another proposition that I've recently thought up should give you something to tease your surrogate grandson over, and it will hopefully make him quite happy, as well," he said, pulling some scrolls from a pocket in his robe...

Meanwhile, with Naruto and Hinata...

Hinata's eyes slowly fluttered open. _"What happened? Did I faint again?"_ she wondered to herself. She could feel a bit of weight covering her body, and whatever it was, it was generating soft...pulses of warmth, which relaxed her. As her eyesight stopped being fuzzy, she sat up to take a look at what was covering her, only for the objects to suddenly retract, having revealed themselves to be Naruto's tails. Almost immediately afterwards, she was pulled into a hug by said hanyou.

"I'm glad you finally woke up, Hinata-chan!" the blond exclaimed happily, then added, "It wasn't any fun snuggling with you when you were asleep. I couldn't tell if you were ticklish anywhere or not!"

Hinata giggled at his enthusiasm, then blushed when she realized what he was saying. "Y-you were snuggling with me?" she stammered.

Naruto nodded. "I've got all these weird thoughts and feelings going on in me now that you're around. The demon part of me says I should mate with you, and make a den somewhere for us, but the human part of me knows you probably aren't ready for that, so I'm compromising with my demon instincts by just snuggling with you. It was kinda nice, but it didn't feel right since you were unconscious," he explained, then frowned, and added, "I kinda wound up asking the others to leave us alone, and now I feel bad. They're my friends, too, after all, right?"

Hinata nodded. "They'll be fine. I'm sure they understand you're going through a pretty rough period of your life, but I'm sure you'll get chances to make it up to them later. Chouji and Lee would probably really like to have a ramen-eating contest with you, since you guys haven't done that in a while. I might join in, too, since my doctor says I haven't been eating enough lately. Shinobi like us have to eat a lot to stay in shape, don't we?" she giggled.

Naruto smiled at her, then gained a confused look, and asked, "The guy with the big dog and the hooded guy...they're your teammates, right?" To this, Hinata nodded. "And the guy in the white robe-ish clothes, he's your cousin?" Again, Hinata nodded, to which Naruto grinned, and said, "Well, I guess I'll have to make sure I don't tick them off, huh? They looked like they'd tear into me if I hurt you!" He then smiled in a more subdued manner, and asked, "Your cousin hated you at one point, if I remember correctly. He's treating you more nicely now, I take it?"

Hinata smiled, and gained a slightly far-off look in her eyes. "You really helped change Neji-niisan for the better when you defeated him in the Chuunin Exams, Naruto-kun. It's really helped him, my imouto Hanabi-chan, my father, and me to get along with each other better. Father actually smiles a lot more, and Hanabi-chan doesn't feel so much pressure in being heiress anymore. Neji-niisan is also dating Tenten-senpai, and I feel as if I've changed a bit for the better as well, because of you. Kurenai-sensei and I often have them over for dinner, where we can act like a regular family. Lately, though, the clan elders have been giving my father a lot of trouble..." she murmured, frowning at the last part.

Naruto smiled softly at her. "Don't worry. I gave my word to Neji that I'd protect you from your clan, and if need be, I'll protect your father, sister, and Neji from them, too. And you know I never break my word. That's our Nindo, after all, ne, Hinata-chan?" he said softly, kissing her forehead and causing her to giggle a little.

After her little giggle fit subsided, Hinata smiled warmly at Naruto, and said, "Thank you. I know you'll do your best, Naruto-kun."

Upon seeing such a kind smile on Hinata's face, Naruto gained a warm feeling in his stomach, and leaned in towards Hinata's face. The two of them closed their eyes in preparation for a kiss, but when the kiss landed, it wasn't on their lips. A young girl's laughter interrupted the moment as well.

"Oneechan, Naruto-san, you have guests!" Hanabi laughed from between them, having intercepted their kiss with her cheeks, and the two lovebirds opened their eyes to see Hanabi, Hiashi, Kurenai, and Tsunade in the room.

Tsunade grinned upon seeing the position Naruto and Hinata were in, and said, "Well, it looks like you two are getting along well! That will make this a whole lot easier to make good. I have news for Hinata, and a mission for you, Naruto."

Hinata looked startled upon hearing this. "But Naruto-kun is still recovering from that explosion of chakra! He shouldn't be doing anything strenuous yet! You should know that better than anybody, Tsunade-sama!" she panicked.

Tsunade smiled warmly at the girl. "Don't worry, Hinata-chan. It's gonna be a long-term D-rank mission, and the little gaki shouldn't have to do anything difficult to complete it. I'm sure you'll both be happy about it once you hear what it is. But first, Hiashi-sama and Kurenai have some news for you," she explained.

Hiashi nodded, and stepped forward, a sad look on his face. "I really wish I didn't have to do this, but I will not risk the elders sealing you. Hinata, you are no longer Hyuuga. I have disowned you legally, though I want you to know I still love you dearly. Yuuhi-san has agreed to adopt you, so you are now Yuuhi Hinata. Because of this, the Hyuuga have no claim over you, and you can no longer be sealed, due to legal matters. I hope, however, that you will still invite your sister, cousin, and me over for dinner occasionally, so that I may see you," he said, gaining a small smile on his face near the end.

Hanabi wrapped her arms around her sister's waist suddenly. "I still wanna be able to call you Oneechan. Is that okay?" she asked, pouting cutely.

Hinata giggled, crying a tiny bit. "Yes, my baby sister, you may still call me that," she said, happy to finally be free from all the pressure of her clan.

Kurenai smiled warmly and stepped forward. "I may not be able to replace your real mother, but I'll try my best, Hinata," she said happily, putting her arms around her new daughter after Hanabi let up.

Hinata returned the hug happily. "Thank you, Kurenai-sensei, so much," she murmured happily.

Naruto smiled warmly at the scene before him, glad to see that Hinata was free of her greatest burden, and happier than he ever remembered seeing her.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Tsunade called out. "Hiashi-sama has requested that you attend to a mission for him. You are to be Hinata's companion and confidant as she recovers from the emotional stress from losing her position as heiress of the Hyuuga Clan. You will be rooming with her and Yuuhi Kurenai for the duration of the mission. You will be given a steady income during this mission of 500,000 Ryou per week, because Hiashi-sama feels like you deserve a break after all the shit the village has pushed on you, and because he loves his daughter so damn much. Do you accept this mission?" she explained, then asked.

Naruto frowned, confused. "I accept, but Hinata-chan doesn't seem to be under any real emotional stress right now..." he said, looking back and forth between Tsunade and Hinata.

Tsunade grinned. "The Hyuuga Elders don't know that, and they don't have to!" she laughed, then, after calming down, added, "You're cleared from the hospital for now, but don't do any training for two weeks. Doctor's orders. Those chakra burns are going to be hell to move around with, and your chakra network still has to recover. Now hold still for a second." After running through a few hand-seals, Tsunade tapped Naruto's forehead, and his body looked just like it did before his hanyou transformation. "Now get some non-hospital clothes on. I've managed to adjust some pants to fit your tails and match the genjutsu to hide the hole for now, but I'm going to need to work on a better way to do such a thing," she said, handing him a pair of pants like his old ones that had a slit going about four inches down from the top-middle of the back of them, and a belt that was obviously meant to close up the top of the slit when it's put on.

"Thanks, Baachan," Naruto said warmly.

Tsunade smiled and flicked his forehead gently. "You get a freebee this time, since you just remembered that nickname, and since I'm in such a good mood. Now get in the bathroom, get dressed, and get out of this place! You've got better things to do than rot around here!" she laughed.

Naruto took the pants and belt, and a jacket of his that was conveniently placed on a nearby hanger, and got to figuring out his new wardrobe malfunction.

Hinata blushed upon realizing that Naruto would be changing in the next room, but managed to recover and turn to speak to Hiashi. "Thank you so much, Daddy," she murmured happily, then hugged him and whispered, "I'll never forget this."

Hiashi smiled as Hanabi joined in the hug, and patted his eldest daughter's back. "You're so very welcome, my little sunshine," he said happily, then embraced both of his daughters happily.

Soon enough, Naruto was done changing, and they all left...

Fifteen minutes later, near Konoha's marketplace...

Naruto's stomach rumbled loudly. "I NEED FOOD!" he whined comically. He was hungry as hell. In fact, he actually couldn't remember any of the times he'd ever eaten in his life!

However, that's not why he'd shouted. He was trying to relieve the tension in the air, caused by all the people around him glaring at him, and whispering cruel things in hushed voices. He turned to Hinata as he walked, and quietly asked, "Are the villagers always like this around me?"

Hinata sighed. She had a feeling this question would come up soon. "Sadly, yes, Naruto-kun. However, none of the shinobi in the village really hate you, since they're a lot smarter about your 'condition' than the civilian populace, and a lot of the members of the younger generation actually look up to you, especially if they attend Iruka-sensei's classes. You might not remember him, but he was one of the first people you 'turned' from hating you to accepting you as who you are. He missed you a lot while you went missing, along with other people," she said, pointing out several of the people who gave waves in his direction and smiled at or called out to him.

Naruto smiled back at these people, happy to see that he'd been acknowledged by at least some of the people of the village, but then it was all interrupted by a flower pot falling from the railing of a nearby home. The young hanyou was only unconscious for about three seconds, but that was more than long enough for the genjutsu seal hiding his new features to wear off, revealing his new look to the villagers around him.

Upon seeing how the former jinchuuriki's body had changed, many of the villagers began shouting angrily. Startled by the shouting, and acting on an instinct he'd never felt before, Naruto let out a ferocious roar, startling the crowd. He then immediately picked Hinata up piggy-back style, and, to the confusion of the villagers who thought for an instant that they were going to die, ran like his life depended on it, with a panicky Hinata holding onto him for dear life.

After about a minute, the crowd realized they'd been duped, and was about to give chase, until a cleaver charged with chakra was thrown across the street, coming from inside of Ichiraku Ramen. An angry chef, one Teuchi Ichiraku, followed it, leaking Killing Intent.

"Ayame!" he shouted back into the shop, "Deliver as much ramen as you can to Hinata's place! We'll just have to send Naruto-kun's treat to him!"

The old man then summoned his cleaver back to his hand with a chakra string, and formed a seal, trapping the majority of the mob on the property of Ichiraku Ramen with a barrier ninjutsu. Most people wouldn't know this, but the land that Ichiraku Ramen is built on belongs to him. Normally, this wouldn't mean anything, but now...

"You people are trespassing on my property, and you scared away my favorite customer, who hasn't come by in so long... The only way out of here is through my shop's back door... I wonder how many of you people will make it out alive?" he asked sinisterly, leaking out a lot of KI as he did so.

Let it be known that Teuchi did not attack anybody that day. All injuries gotten by these trespassers were gotten because they all trampled over each other running away from the angry ramen chef, and because that many people just can't run through a fully-stocked kitchen safely...

Later, in Hinata and Kurenai's home...

Hinata sighed as she ran her fingers through Naruto's hair. He had passed out from the stress upon reaching a place that he deemed safe, which, conveniently, was the home where she and Kurenai lived together. She quickly got him into her bed, and checked him over to make sure he wasn't in pain. He seemed to be groaning a bit in his sleep, but she guessed he was just dreaming, though said dream didn't seem to be all that pleasant, what with all his tossing and turning. After inviting Ayame in and sealing the ramen into a scroll for later, the two young women simply watched as the hanyou rested, hoping he'd wake up soon.

A few hours had passed, and Ayame had to leave, with Kurenai arriving shortly thereafter. Sadly, Naruto still hadn't woken up. Something else had changed, however. Hinata felt a an emotional 'tug' as she watched the boy, and it kept pulling at her. It also appeared that Naruto was attempting to reach out to her in his sleep.

Hinata smiled fondly at him after a few more minutes of this. "I'm probably going to lose my virginity to him sometime soon anyway," she murmured softly. She went to give her new mother a good night hug, then changed into her night clothes and lowered herself into Naruto's waiting arms. To her relief, he didn't suddenly start ravaging her. He, instead, simply held her against him, wrapping his tails around the two of them like a blanket, and purred softly, seemingly at peace now.

Hinata smiled softly, and whispered gently, "Sweet dreams, my love. I'll stay with you always."

And so, the two of them found sleep together after that tumultuous day...

End Chapter One


	2. Friendly Strangers

Hanyou Memories

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that is used in this fanfiction. I do not own the characters of Naruto, and I do not own the Naruto franchise. This is a non-profit work of fiction.

Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Rose Tiger, whose epicness knows no bounds, along with all of my other reviewers!

Chapter Two

_Friendly Strangers_

Hinata's Dream...

Hinata smiled as she entered the suite that Naruto had rented for them. They had just gotten married, and it was the happiest day of her life. Judging from the smile that never seemed to leave his face, it was the happiest day of Naruto's life, too. All of their friends had been there. Even Sasuke, who was given a bit of time out of prison at Naruto's request, had come and wished them well. He had come as Sakura's date, since the two of them seemed to like each other so much now that all the fighting was over.

But enough about that. Now that the greatest day of their lives had come to an end, they were going to have the greatest night of their lives.

Naruto smiled softly down at his new wife as he wrapped his arms around her. A Shadow Clone had come by the room earlier and brought a bunch of the flowers that Naruto had grown over the past few months, still potted, as he couldn't bear to kill them, and placed them in various places in the room, using some kind of technique Naruto had thought up to make their scents reach out further. A few of Naruto's and Hinata's drawings of the two of them together, made back when they were kids, were placed around the room, to show how long the two had waited to be together. There were candles in various places in the room as well, and as a finishing touch, a soft bed, covered with the petals of different kinds of flowers that represented their love.

"You really thought this out, Naruto-kun," Hinata said happily, burying her face in his chest.

Naruto grinned at the compliment. "I try, Hina-chan," he said happily. He then gained a serious look, and gazed into her eyes. "Are you sure about what we talked about before?" he asked.

Hinata nodded. "Yes, Naruto-kun. No Contraceptive Jutsu this time. I want our first child to be conceived tonight," she said with certainty.

Naruto grinned. "Well, let's get ready, then!" he said cheerfully, as he began to carefully discard his clothes, as did Hinata. They had agreed beforehand that they wouldn't do anything until they were both naked, since the kimonos they chose to wear to the wedding were keepsakes from their families.

Lemon Begin. You won't miss anything important if you skip it.

Naruto quickly picked his now-naked wife up bridal-style, and twirled her around in his arms a bit, causing her to laugh happily. She nuzzled her face against his chest happily, and they soon made their way to the bed, where Naruto tossed her gently onto the covers and began tickling her everywhere.

After a moment of that, and laughing their heads off, they settled down, and Naruto gazed seriously into his wife's eyes, as he kissed her tenderly. They both moaned simultaneously, adding their tongues to the mix. Hinata gripped her husband's hair by the roots, grasping at it as his hands ran up and down her body, sending tingles all over her.

His hands soon stopped on her breasts, which she knew he loved playing with when they were like this. They gently molded the soft mounds, and Hinata arched her body back upon feeling the pleasure of having one of her most sensitive areas stimulated.

Breaking the kiss, and moving one of his hands from her breast to her stomach, Naruto began nibbling at her earlobe, then her jawline, collarbone, and eventually, her unoccupied breast. She moaned loudly as he kissed, nibbled at, and sucked on her breast, while one of his hands traced around her lower abdomen, gently pushing chakra into sensitive areas to boost the feeling she got when he played with her body.

Hinata's body arched once again when Naruto slid a finger into her gleaming treasure hole. They both groaned as they pressed up against each other, and Naruto began pumping his finger in and out, soon adding a second.

"Naruto-kun! P-please! Let me d-do something...for you!" she panted, having trouble speaking and breathing at the same time.

Naruto grinned up at her. "Not until 'that' happens," he teased, then added a third finger, causing her to cry out at the feelings running through her. He increased the pace of his fingers and continued playing with her breasts until finally...

"NARUTOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed with ecstasy. And that's when she blacked out.

End Lemon.

In Hinata's room...

Hinata woke up suddenly, feeling hot and somewhat relieved. She panted heavily, then realized she'd have to clean the sheets, as she had climaxed onto them.

Naruto still hadn't woken up, but in the night, they had apparently moved a bit, as he was now on top of her, his head resting...in between her breasts. His tails waved around lazily, and he snored lightly.

"These pillows...*snore*...are really nice...*snore*... Don't you think so, Hinata-chan?*SNOOOOOORE*" he murmured in his sleep.

Hinata blushed in embarrassment, then giggled at how ridiculous her boyfriend sounded. She gently disentangled herself from his arms, tails, and legs, and quickly gave him a pillow to hug. After getting some clothes from her dresser, she quickly headed to the shower to begin her day...

Later, with Naruto...

Naruto awoke later after, oddly enough, dreaming about pillows that Hinata had given him for his birthday. "I must be really out of it to be dreaming about something as random as that!" he exclaimed, then groaned when he heard and felt his stomach growl. It was then that he smelled something surprisingly delicious-smelling coming from the bed, and he found what appeared to be a small wet spot.

Defying all reason, and his mind, Naruto lowered his face to this wet spot and began licking at it. He was caught off guard when he realized that whatever had stained the bed there tasted _really good_! For some odd reason, the taste made him think of Hinata, which he didn't mind at all.

A few seconds later, though, he heard a squeak that sounded like Hinata's voice, and then a thump. He turned to find the object of his thoughts passed out on the floor nearby.

"Hinata-chan!" he called out, rushing to help her up. Fortunately, his voice seemed to be enough to awaken her this time around, as he remembered several times when such was not the case.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata murmured.

Naruto wrapped his arms around the girl. "Hinata-chan! You need to try and stop fainting so often!" he lightly scolded, then asked, "Do you have any idea what came over me? I smelled this spot on the bed, and I just automatically started licking it... It was really weird, but for some odd reason, licking that spot made me think of you, Hinata."

Hinata blushed heavily. "Ano... Naruto-kun...that spot was..." she murmured, trying not to faint again. "W-well, I h-had a d-dream about the t-two of us...making l-love, and that spot..." she stammered.

Naruto blushed as well upon realizing what his girlfriend was saying. "Well, it looks like I have more wrong with me than Baachan originally thought," he said, embarrassed. Hinata nodded, and was about to speak, but was interrupted by Naruto's stomach growling loudly. Naruto chuckled, and said, "Change of plans. First we eat, THEN we go to see Baachan!"

And so, the two of them ate the ramen that had been sealed up, and then headed out...

Later, at the Hokage's office...

Naruto and Hinata arrived, only to find that all the other rookies and Team Guy were there as well.

"Good, you two are here. Now we can get down to business... Wait, why isn't Shizune with you?" Tsunade said/asked.

Naruto and Hinata looked confused. "Why would Shizune be with us?" Hinata asked.

"I sent her to get you. Don't tell me you came here on your own?" Tsunade replied.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, we kinda did... Was that bad?" he asked.

Meanwhile, with Shizune...

"Naruto-kun! Hinata! Somebody answer the door! I really don't want to break down a door at such a nice home!" Shizune shouted.

Eventually, Kurenai answered the door, looking very angry. "Can't a pregnant woman get some sleep?!" she practically roared.

Shizune blinked after being pushed back by Kurenai's voice. "Are Naruto-kun and Hinata in?" she asked nervously, then said, "I have a summons from the Hokage for them."

Kurenai scowled slightly. "Then you bothered me for nothing. They left for the Hokage's office about fifteen minutes ago," she muttered, then suddenly became chipper, and asked, "Wanna check on the baby for me, then get some lunch with me?"

Shizune sighed. "I can check on the baby, but lunch will have to wait. I have to report back to Tsunade-sama after all," she explained, then smiled and said, "At least this trip won't be a complete waste! I get to check up on my friend's baby!"

Back at the Hokage's office...

"Oh well, she'll be fine. Kurenai will send her back," Tsunade said happily, then turned to the group in front of her, and added, "I have an assignment for all of you. While you are all great assets essential to the village, and it would be unwise to keep you in the village for helping rehabilitate a fellow shinobi, Naruto is not just any fellow shinobi. He is our jinchuuriki-turned-hanyou, and so, his health and well-being are extremely important for the village as well. Also, we can't just have the gaki running around without his memories forever. As such, I am assigning you all to Naruto for the time being, to help him regain as much of his former self as possible within two months. Don't let me down, people!"

As one, each of the shinobi saluted their leader, including Naruto, just for the heck of it.

Tsunade smiled at the group of young adults before her. _"More shinobi should be like them. Can't wait till they all decide to settle down and have kids. That'll be fun,"_ she thought to herself, then said, "First off, I need you to help him practice his ninja techniques. Until Jiraiya returns, you are the ones most familiar with what he can do in the village. Don't spar with him, as he's still got several burns from his transformation, but we have to see how powerful he is now with Kyuubi's chakra as his own. I also want you to socialize with him, and show him places where various things happened in his life. The sooner he gets his memories back and heals, the sooner he can go on missions with the rest of you again. I wish you luck. Now, everybody but Naruto and Hinata, wait outside for a moment."

After the nine shinobi and one shinobi dog not meant to stay left, Tsunade turned to Naruto and Hinata. "I assume there is something you needed to tell me?" she asked.

Hinata stiffened slightly. "Apparently, Naruto-kun has gained some...animalistic tendencies, and...his _foxier_ half sees me as a desired mate... I don't know if that's good or bad, since the feelings are requited, but I'd like to know what I should expect. Naruto-kun needs me, and I want to stay by his side, but foxes are polygamous, and I don't think I could stand seeing him with another woman..." she answered.

Tsunade smiled. "Relax, Hinata-chan. I've done some digging around, and found that while normal foxes are, in some cases, polygamous, most are monogamous. Some even mate for life. And demon foxes are ALL monogamous, choosing to mate for life as a sign of honor and loyalty to one mate. Now, watch Naruto's reaction to this question. Naruto, you're not going to try to build a harem, right?"

Naruto slapped one of his tails against the floor agitatedly and seemed to bristle a bit. "I know you're just reassuring Hinata-chan, but a part of me feels like beating the tar out of you for suggesting that I'd be unfaithful to her," he growled lightly.

Tsunade smiled. "I never doubted you for a second, Naruto. Now, Hinata, you're going to have to stay away from men who might flirt with you, unless they're enemy ninja, because Naruto will likely beat the tar out of anybody who appears to be trying to get with you. If you don't do so first, that is. Therefore, you're not allowed to go to any places that men tend to pick girls up at, even if it's to go there with a friend to help them. The civilian council is, naturally, not happy with the fact that Naruto's alive, and they'll give me a headache and a half if he seriously hurts somebody for hitting on you," the older woman explained.

Hinata nodded. "I understand, Hokage-sama," she replied.

Tsunade then turned to Naruto again. "Please listen to me, Naruto." Said fox-boy lifted his head and perked his ears. "I want you to do your best and give it your all. That's the kind of person you are, and it's how you've always been. If you get stuck, keep pushing, because whatever's in your way will give at some point if you're the one fighting it. Recover your memories, and make new ones with your friends. I expect you to get through this fine, but just in case, good luck," she said, then, before he could blink, she was in front of him, giving him a hug. "If it weren't for the fact that I feel unworthy of such a thing, I'd adopt you as my son. Either way, make me proud, gaki," she murmured softly, then kissed his forehead. "Now get out of my office! You have better things to do than spend time with an old hag like me!"

Naruto smiled, and as he took Hinata's hand to lead her out, replied, "Sure thing, Hokage-kaasan!"

Naruto and Hinata met their friends outside of the room, and the group headed out to get to a training field...

Meanwhile, at the village gate...

Izumo and Kotetsu were bored out of their minds. They really hoped either that somebody interesting came by, or Naruto got his memories back and pranked somebody nearby that they could laugh at.

It was then that they saw four people coming their way, but they seemed to be riding on some sort of cloud.

"Hey, is that who I think it is?" Kotetsu asked.

Izumo sighed. "I'll get Hokage-sama. It's only natural that those three would come soon after that blast of demon chakra. They're Naruto-san's friends too, after all," he said, disappearing in a plume of smoke.

As soon as Izumo had left, the cloud and its passengers arrived, and said cloud dispersed and went back into the gourd from which it came, revealing the substance to be sand.

"I'm sure you know who I am, but I'll say it anyway so you can get the paperwork over with. I am the Godaime Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara. These are my siblings and my escort, Sabaku no Temari and Sabaku no Kankuro, and this is my fiancée, Matsuri. I wish to speak with your Hokage about the explosion of demonic chakra I felt yesterday, and the whereabouts and/or condition of my close friend, Uzumaki Naruto."

At Training Ground 7...

After showing off all his techniques, which, sadly, weren't many in the first place, the group decided that, while Naruto was powerful, he needed more diverse ninjutsu techniques if he was going to get anywhere near his full potential. Before that, however, they all decided to just sit down and reintroduce themselves to him. They had all agreed beforehand, though, that it would be best not to tell him about Sasuke at this time. Even Sakura felt inclined to agree, after seeing the bodies of the Leaf ANBU that had been sent out to capture the spy that Sasori had spoken of. Several had various forms of the Chidori used on them, and not one of them had come back in one piece. Tsunade had been both grateful and enraged that Orochimaru had sent their bodies back, the former being only because they could be cremated properly, and because they hadn't been used in any of his experiments.

"My name is Haruno Sakura," the girl said happily, then saddened a bit, and added, "I wasn't exactly nice to you early on in our lives, but I'm going to try my best to be the friend you need now. We were a part of Squad Seven together, alongside Hatake Kakashi, our teacher." She then seemed to feel a bit happier, getting past what she'd said before, and explained, "I like reading and practicing Medical Ninjutsu, and when I'm not out on a mission, I work at the hospital. I study under Senjuu Tsunade, our Hokage. I dislike perverts and traitors to our village!" She became angry at this last part, having lost her love for Sasuke a while after Naruto left on his training trip, after having seen the medical reports of what the avenger had done to Naruto when he'd defected. "My hobbies are studying up on my medical techniques so that I can be of more help to my friends and comrades, and training, for the same reason."

Next up were Kiba and Akamaru. "My name is Inuzuka Kiba, and this is my partner in battle and almost everything else in life, Inuzuka Akamaru!" he exclaimed, and said dog barked happily, basically introducing himself as well. "We like our friends, training, going for runs in the woods and mountains, eating good meat, and a having a good fight every once in a while! We were old friends of yours back in the academy, pulling pranks and skipping class with you. We eventually stopped hanging out with you, though, and thought of you as the dead-last, but then you whupped our asses in the Chuunin Exam preliminary round, and we sure as hell knew not to mess with you again! We've also been on several missions together, though most of them failed, but, hey, we work well together, normally!" Kiba then gave Naruto a piercing glare, and added, "If you break Hinata's heart, though, we'll be two of the people out for your skin, and you won't escape from us easily."

Then, Shino went. "My name is Aburame Shino. I like collecting insects, training, my friends, and hiking in the woods. My dislikes include illogical thinking, traitors, insect repellent, and those who kill insects needlessly. I was never very social, but I respect you as a comrade, and I feel we could be friends if we tried. Also, I am another person who will hunt you relentlessly if you hurt Hinata," he explained.

Over time, everybody had explained who they were and what their relationship to Naruto was. Naruto, however, seemed confused. "Isn't there...one more of us?" he asked, then added, "I can't help but get the feeling that somebody's missing."

Hinata grew concerned, and made a decision. Placing her hand on Naruto's shoulder, she explained, "There was once one more of our group, but he betrayed us all, and left the village to gain power for selfish reasons."

"Uchiha Sasuke..." Sakura said quietly, her voice full of venom, then added, "I don't want to see you get hurt like that again, Naruto. That monster tried to kill you, and nearly succeeded! I asked you to promise me to bring him back, but I don't want that promise fulfilled, unless that creep is either too injured to hurt anybody again, or in a body bag!"

Ino nodded. "I had a crush on him at one point, like Sakura-chan, but he's dead to me now. If you had wanted power, Naruto, it would have been for a noble purpose, like to protect your friends. That bastard, however, wanted it to kill his brother. Sure, Itachi killed off all of Sasuke's family, and that's a reason to want him dead, but everybody here wanted to help him feel better, and he just brushed us off to go off and hunt for power! If he wanted to get revenge so badly, he should have at least accepted the help we were all willing to give him, and stayed here!" she exclaimed.

Neji shook his head. "Uzumaki. You are a noble person, and wanted to save Sasuke more than anything. You once saved me from the darkness surrounding my heart, but there's a difference between me and the Uchiha. I wanted to be happy. I yearned for it. Sasuke, however...all he wants is to kill his brother. Unless he changes his mind, and wants to be saved, he cannot be helped. Recover, and become our comrade once again, but, for your sake and all of ours, just forget the traitor. He will only cause undue pain, both to you and those dear to you," the prodigy explained.

Naruto nodded, understanding the situation, and the group hung their heads in silence for a moment. Soon enough, though, a whirlwind of sand formed in the center of the training field, and four figures emerged, one of them approaching noticeably more quickly than the rest.

Naruto got on all fours and growled slightly, his tails waving wildly in the air behind him, but Hinata's hand on his shoulder calmed him. "Kazekage-sama. I'm glad to see you're in good health," Hinata said, a tinge of happiness in her voice.

Gaara approached Naruto slowly and carefully, as if he were afraid he'd shatter into a million pieces if he didn't do it right. "My friend, Uzumaki Naruto...What has that man done to you?" he asked, sadness apparent in his tone.

Naruto's eyes widened. "I...know you. I feel deep down that we're friends...I don't even know your name, but deep down, I'm sure we're close," he said softly.

As Naruto stood upright, Gaara's arms wrapped around the young hanyou. "I am very relieved to see you safe, Uzumaki," Gaara said, a tear falling from his eye. "I only regret that I could not save you from what has befallen you."

Naruto grinned slightly. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault, Kazekage-sama. I'm...actually very glad to see you, too," he said happily.

"Gaara. My name is Gaara, and you may call me such," the red head explained.

Matsuri approached, and put her hand on Gaara's shoulder, pulling him away slightly. "Gaara-kun, you're smothering him! Give him some space, sweetie," she scolded teasingly.

Gaara chuckled a little, and did just that. "Now that you've lost your memories, I should reintroduce myself, and my family. I am Sabaku no Gaara, one of several people you've saved from the darkness in their hearts. We were both jinchuuriki once, you for the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and myself for the Ichibi no Tanuki. The young man with the makeup on his face-"

"IT'S WAR PAINT!"

"-and the scrolls on his back is my older brother, Sabaku no Kankuro. He specializes in puppet-mastery. The blonde woman with the battle fan strapped to her waist is my eldest sibling, my sister, Sabaku no Temari. She's a powerful user of Wind Style ninjutsu. And the young lady who's still got her hand on my shoulder-"

"Eep!"

"-is my fiancée, and former student, Matsuri, and she will share my name and life in a few months. I am saddened, though, that the man that did this to you is already dead. I would have liked to have killed him myself," he said.

Naruto grinned. "I still don't remember the man's name, but that was one hell of a face he made when he slipped up and my chakra exploded in his face!" he laughed, then said, "Once I'm feeling better, the two of us should have a spar. I don't know why, I just feel that I saw you recently, and regretted not being able to spar with you then!"

Gaara smirked. "I would have liked that as well. Unfortunately, my entourage and I can only stay for five days at the most. As its Kazekage, Sunagakure needs me badly, and I cannot abandon my home for too long of a time," he explained.

Lee grinned. "Perhaps some other time! However, I would like to have a youthful rematch with Gaara-sama while he's here! The flames of our youth will EXPLODE!" the young blue beast (who's actually green) exclaimed.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the village...

A slightly larger blue beast (who was also greener than blue) shivered for an instant. "I SENSE A DISTURBANCE IN THE YOOOOUUTH!" he burst, scaring various forms of wildlife and small children within a mile of the epicenter.

Back with the rookies and the sand family...

Neji and Tenten simultaneously shivered. "I get the feeling something really..._youthful_...will happen soon," Neji said with distaste.

Tenten nodded. "We should vacate the premises. If we leave soon, we might not get horribly scarred for life this time!" she suggested.

Hinata giggled at the antics of her cousin's team. She went over to Naruto, and, after suppressing a slight shiver and wondering where it came from, wrapped her arms around him and said to the group, "Why don't we head to Ichiraku's? We need to get Naruto-kun reacquainted with his favorite food!"

Several members of the group laughed happily, while others shouted joyously. They all headed for town, smiles on their faces...

End Chapter Two


	3. Heat and Warmth

Hanyou Memories

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that is used in this fanfiction.

Author's Note: brown phantom has a poll on his profile, as does zentary, concerning who the best author on is. Please visit said profiles and vote!

Chapter Three

_Heat and Warmth_

It was about half a week after Gaara and his entourage left for home. The two former jinchuuriki didn't get to have their rematch, due to Naruto's chakra burns, so they promised to have a good match sometime in the near future. Gaara and Naruto weren't the only ones who got close during that time; Hinata and Matsuri bonded as well, and though nobody caught them doing so, Shikamaru and Temari also spent a good amount of time together.

Over time, though, Hinata had started feeling strange. It started small, but soon, the urges she was getting were almost unbearable. She had already started keeping her distance from Naruto because of it, but now it was so bad, that...

Currently, at Kurenai's house...

"Hinata! Come out of there! You've missed breakfast _and_ lunch! Naruto and I are worried!" Kurenai called out through Hinata's bedroom door. Naruto paced the hallway on all fours, obviously worried, as the genjutsu mistress had stated. Hinata had locked herself in her room. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, since Kurenai and Naruto were shinobi, but the young woman had placed seals on the door as well, making it much more difficult to get in.

"N-no! I-I c-c-can't! Not the way I am n-now!" Hinata called out, her voiced strained.

Naruto suddenly became frightened. "What do you mean, the way you are now? Are you hurt? Are you okay?" the young hanyou asked in panic.

Hinata gasped audibly. "N-Naruto-kun..." she whimpered, and the sound of something spilling was heard, then a loud thump, presumably Hinata falling down.

"HINATA!" Naruto shouted. Without thinking, the young hanyou thrust his tails through the wall around the door, and ripped said area of the wall out.

"_Good thing Hinata only sealed the door and the windows, otherwise that wouldn't have worked,"_ Kurenai thought to herself, then mentally slapped herself for not thinking of doing something like that before.

The pregnant Jounin was interrupted from her thoughts when Naruto suddenly passed out, and for good reason. The smell of orgasmic fluids coming from Hinata's room was strong enough that she could smell it perfectly without sending any chakra to her nose at all. Kurenai looked through the hole in the wall to find Hinata sprawled out on the floor, twitching slightly, with the remains of an orgasm spilling out from her panties. "It's like she's...in heat?" Kurenai said to nobody in particular.

The red-eyed woman caught a flash of pink outside one of the nearby windows showing the street outside, and thanked the fates that Sakura was nearby. Immediately heading to the door, Kurenai opened it and called out to the rosette. "Sakura! I need some help! Could you come in for a moment?" she asked.

Sakura, slightly concerned, called back, "Sure!" After entering, the younger of the two conscious occupants of the house immediately noticed the scent wafting in the air. Quickly closing the door to keep it from getting further out of the house than it may have gotten, she asked, "What's going on? I recognize that smell, but I don't remember where from."

Kurenai frowned. "You might want to summon Katsuyu to get Tsunade-sama for this. That smell is Hinata's orgasmic fluids. I think she's gone into...heat, for lack of a better term, and she's been trying to hide it from us. Naruto's been knocked out by the scent, but I don't know how long that will last. Please hurry," the pregnant woman explained.

Sakura did as Kurenai said, and summoned Katsuyu. "Please get Tsunade-shishio. Tell her it concerns Naruto and his new condition. Tell her I'm at Kurenai's house, and request that she brings some equipment, as it would probably be bad for them to be seen in public the way they are," the pinkette explained. Katsuyu nodded, and vanished. "Now, let me see what I've got to work with," Sakura said, then headed to Hinata's room, with Kurenai following anxiously...

A few hours later...

Hinata stirred slightly, waking up. She could tell almost immediately that she wasn't feeling that...heat...anymore, but now she seemed to have other problems. "My head..." she murmured.

"How are you feeling, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, sounding a tad...was it hesitation she was sensing in his words?

"I don't know," she said, slowly opening her eyes. "It feels like I'm sick, but at least whatever I was dealing with earlier is gone," she added.

"I'm sorry about all that, Hinata-chan," Naruto said softly.

Hinata giggled a bit. "I figured it had something to do with you, but I doubt you did it on purpose, Naruto-kun. Don't feel so bad, okay?" she replied, then lifted her hands to rub his whisker marks, and asked, "What was wrong with me, anyway?"

Naruto sighed. "My body produces semi-sentient pheromones that choose specific targets. The target has to be a girl I love, has to love me back, and has to be willing to make love with me. I'm just glad you're the only one who qualifies, know what I mean? Anyway, Tsunade-baachan extracted them, but she said the problem would come back until you and I...y'know...do 'it'. Unfortunately, pulling them out of you like she did seems to have given you a bit of a fever, so we can't deal with it right away. However, she put a contraceptive seal on you that should last a week, so we have some time bought for us," he explained, then added, "I'll make sure to take good care of you, don't worry."

Hinata nodded, blushing a bright red at the innuendo at the end, not sure if he meant it or not. She then reached both of her arms up towards him, and requested, "Come cuddle with me. I missed you..."

Naruto leaned down and nuzzled his head against her shoulder, getting his body onto the bed with her. She ran her fingers through his hair as he rubbed her arms, the two of them simply enjoying the warmth and general feelings of happiness coming from being together. Naruto's tails wove around slowly, letting Hinata know he was enjoying what they were doing. Then, it happened. He purred.

Hinata suddenly started laughing like crazy. "Naruto-kun! You're purring! Are you sure you're a fox-man, and not a cat-man?" she managed to get out as she laughed.

Naruto grinned. "I like hearing you laugh! Let's hear more of it!" he exclaimed, lifting the girl's shirt up a bit and tickling her belly with his tails.

Hinata was laughing uncontrollably for a few minutes, but then she started feeling light-headed. "Oohhhh...I forgot I'm still not feeling one hundred percent..." she groaned.

Naruto had stopped tickling her as soon as he'd heard her moan of discomfort, and started just rubbing her arms in hopes that it would help her feel a little better. "You going to be okay, Hinata?" he asked softly.

The former heiress nodded, then said, "I'm pretty hungry, though...Would you mind asking Kurenai to make some soup for me?"

Naruto sighed. "Kurenai left to talk to Baachan about what's going on. I can make some for you, though, if you want," he offered.

Hinata smiled warmly. "If that's the case, may I be a little selfish, and ask you to serve it to me in bed?" she asked, giggling slightly.

Naruto grinned and did a little salute. "Yes, milady!" he shouted happily, then headed off to prepare some soup for his hime...

Meanwhile, with Kurenai and Tsunade...

Tsunade sighed, sitting at her desk in her office. "Are you sure about this, Kurenai?" she asked.

The soon-to-be mother nodded. "Asuma and I talked about it a few weeks ago, and I agree. Even the baby seems to think it's a good idea," she answered, rubbing her swollen belly fondly and adding, "Besides, Hinata's a smart girl. She'll be able to handle it, and she's got Naruto to help her. Besides, Asuma's place is closer to the hospital, and those two need their 'alone-time' anyway."

Tsunade nodded. "Fine, then. I just need your signature here, and Hinata will have to come by later on to add hers and make it official. I get the feeling she'll be very happy about this, once she wakes up after she faints from the news," the blonde Sannin chuckled.

Kurenai signed the paper and smiled at the Godaime. "I'm going to head over to Asuma's for a while, so Hinata and Naruto have some time alone before I come home. Would you mind sending a messenger to let them know, so they don't worry about me?" the ruby-eyed woman asked.

Tsunade nodded again. "You be careful, now," she called after Kurenai. After the pregnant woman left, she rolled her eyes. "Hinata and Naruto living on their own together...They might as well be married already!" she laughed, then fished around her desk drawer for a bottle of sake, and said, "That's an occasion to drink to! Heck, if things go well for them, I'll help them arrange a wedding myself! Bottoms up!"

The blonde Hokage's laughter echoed through the halls of the Hokage Tower for a good long while...

A few minutes later, with Naruto and Hinata...

Naruto chuckled as his girlfriend blushed. He blew lightly on the bit of soup in the spoon he was holding, then held it out to her, the bowl sitting on a nearby tray. "N-Naruto-kun?" the blunette questioned, bewildered.

The foxy boy grinned. "You asked me to serve you your food! What better way to do that than this?" he exclaimed happily, then moved the spoon closer to the girl and said, "Say 'ahhh,' Hina-chan!"

Hinata's blush increased. _"H-he's going to feed me?"_ she thought to herself, then smiled softly and opened her mouth. Naruto put the spoon in, and Hinata tasted the soup as the boy pulled the spoon back out from between her lips, minus the soup. It tasted good. "T-thank you, Naruto-kun," the former heiress said softly after swallowing.

Naruto grinned even wider, and refilled the spoon. "Here comes more!" he said excitedly, putting the spoon in his lover's mouth again. Hinata giggled as she enjoyed this closeness.

After Naruto pulled the spoon back again, he noticed there was a bit of soup on Hinata's lip. He moved forward quickly and licked it off with his tongue, causing the pale-eyed girl to blush heavily. "Wow, my cooking tastes good!" Naruto exclaimed, then smiled softly at his girlfriend and added, "but your lips taste nice, too, Hinata..."

Hinata's blush, which had died down a little by now, increased heavily suddenly. "N-Naruto-kun...Y-you can k-kiss me a-anytime, if you w-want," she said quietly, poking her index fingers together, a habit she hadn't fallen to in a long while.

Naruto's smile warmed more, and the couple brought their lips together. The kiss was awkward and clumsy at first, but it soon became something wonderful for the two teens. Hinata put her hands on Naruto's shoulders, and he, in return, placed his hands on her sides, and the two pulled each other together, holding each other tenderly.

Soon enough, though, they had to part for air. But they had enjoyed that moment. It had been magical for them, and they could only hope they'd have more like this. Naruto grinned after pulling back a bit more, and said, "That felt nice...Thanks, Hinata-chan."

Hinata flushed a bit, still somewhat high on the feeling of kissing Naruto. "N-Naruto..." she breathed, completely dropping the honorific, "P-please...I-I feel..." She didn't know what to say. Her body felt so..._hot_...all of a sudden.

Naruto paused for a moment. "Hinata...?" he whispered, smelling the scent of his beloved's arousal in the air.

"Please..." Hinata whimpered, taking his hand in hers and pressing it in the center of her chest, over her heart. "L-love me, Naruto..."

Naruto nodded, and quickly made a Shadow Clone to put the soup in the fridge. He was ready for this.

Begin Lime

Hinata smiled as she laid down, letting Naruto hover above her. The look in his eyes was so full of love. She knew that what they were doing was right. Naruto smiled at her and caressed her cheek with his fingers, slowly moving them down to her neck, then her shoulder, and then her arm, where he rubbed her soft skin gently. Hinata shivered at his touch, enjoying the feeling of his hands touching her with such care.

Suddenly, Hinata felt like being bold. She pushed her hands under Naruto's shirt, feeling the muscle underneath, and she began to explore a little. Naruto purred softly, causing the girl to smile. She was making him feel good, and that made her very happy. The young hanyou pulled his hands away from her, and pulled his shirt off, giving Hinata more access. The former heiress kissed the center of Naruto's chest gently, and listened for his heart beat, pressing the side of her head up against him. She could hear and feel it, along with the rumbling of his purrs.

Naruto leaned back after a bit, and hesitantly reached under Hinata's shirt, rubbing the soft skin of her belly. Hinata squirmed slightly, not used to being touched there in such a way, since nobody had really ever touched her stomach outside of training, and when that happened, it usually wasn't gentle.

Naruto looked at Hinata questioningly, his hands gripping the hem of her shirt. The girl understood the unspoken question, and nodded, raising her arms above her head. Naruto gently lifted the shirt up and off his lover, who began blushing horribly. "Y-you're the first...b-boy...to s-see me without m-my shirt on, b-besides K-Kiba and S-Shino, but they only s-saw underneath it w-when they had to t-treat my injuries on m-missions..." she confessed, then groaned slightly, and complained, "No...Why do I have to feel sick now...? My head..."

Naruto frowned slightly, then moved back. "Sorry, Hinata-chan. I-I forgot you weren't feeling well, what with the heat of the moment and all," he apologized, then added, "We should probably stop now."

Hinata nodded. "C-could you h-help me take off my b-bra, though? I...I want you to s-see at least s-some of my body that h-hasn't been seen by a b-boy before..." she said softly.

Naruto nodded, and Hinata turned to the side, revealing the clasp of her bra in back. Naruto fumbled with it for a moment, but soon enough, he got it unclasped, and Hinata let him remove it himself. His girlfriend's breasts bounced slightly, revealed to him. Her nipples were slightly erect, due to the foreplay from before.

Naruto moved his hand forward slowly, his questioning gaze meeting Hinata's eyes. "G-go ahead...You can t-touch them...J-just don't do it for t-too long..." she said, reminding him at the end that she wasn't feeling well still.

The blond nodded, and gently cupped one of the mounds in his hand, squeezing gently. Hinata blushed heavily, and began panting a bit as Naruto fondled her breast softly. Soon enough, though, the exertion was too much, and she passed out.

End Lime

Naruto smiled softly at the unconscious girl before him, and gently redressed her. He rested next to her in the bed, his tails curling up around her, and he thought to himself, _"That was kinda nice. I'll have to thank her when she wakes up. Maybe she'll like that soup again?"_

With that, the blond pulled the blunette close to him, and the two snuggled like that for a while...

Later, somewhere in the Elemental Nations...

Sasuke Uchiha smirked. He had come across a pair of Akatsuki members earlier with Hebi. One of them was still alive, somehow, but with all his limbs incinerated and his head removed, he wasn't going to be doing anything other than scream for a while. The other had proven tough to beat, but as soon as the Uchiha prodigy realized his revivals were happening because he had more than one heart, it was a simple task of taking the man's head off. He only had one brain, after all.

"Oi! Bastard! Get over here! I'll kill you with my teeth! Don't think you're going to get off scott-free! Jashin-sama will reap vengeance on your sorry ass! Hey, I'm talking to you, you little fucker!" the severed head of Hidan shouted.

Now Sasuke was annoyed. "Juugo...Crush his head. I'm pretty sure that will kill him," he commanded. The mad persona of Juugo grinned, picking the head up off the ground.

"You can't kill me, piss-ant! I'm immor-" was all he got out before his brain matter splattered on the ground.

Juugo frowned, his killer persona having gone back into the depths of his mind. "It's probably for the best that I killed him, anyway. He wouldn't be able to do much with his life as he was," the large man muttered softly.

"Can we just get to an inn and rest already? It's getting dark out," Suigetsu said lazily.

Karin glared. "Suigetsu, you lazy bum! We'll stop when Sasuke-kun says so!" she shrieked.

The former Mist ninja sighed. "Whatever. Where are we going anyway, fearless leader?" he asked.

Sasuke's eyes darkened. "We're going to the Leaf. I have to take care of something...important," he said ominously.

And so, the group headed off to The Land of Fire, their destination: Konohagakure no Sato...

End Chapter Three


	4. Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish

Hanyou Memories

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that is used in this fanfiction, including, but not limited to, Karin's biting fetish.

Author's Note: I apologize to all pro-Sasuke fans, but I've decided that he will be evil in this fic. Sorry, but all of said fans should stop reading now.

2nd Author's Note: Thanks to hinatasgreatestfan, who helped immensely with this chapter, among others.

Chapter Four

_Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish_

Three days after the incident with Naruto and Hinata...

Hinata opened her eyes as she woke in the middle of the night. She had gotten over her fever the day before, but when it finally came time for her and Naruto to make love, he suddenly became distraught, as if he sensed something wrong. Since then, he'd stared out the window, as if anticipating something. Even now, he sat in that same spot, his tails waving around occasionally.

"Naruto-kun, please come to bed and tell me what's wrong," the blunette called out softly. The aforementioned hanyou twitched, then made an animalistic whine and headed over to the bed. Hinata pulled him close to her, rubbing his sensitive whisker-marks. "Please tell me what's bothering you. If we're going to be a couple, we have to let each other know when something's wrong. Otherwise, we won't be able to help each other, ne?" she cooed gently near his vulpine ears.

Naruto whined again. "I sense something...very _hateful_ out there..." he mumbled, nuzzling his face against Hinata's. "I know it can't kill me, because of how powerful I am now, but I'm worried that it might hurt you, or any of my other friends. Whatever it is, it feels so full of...malice," he explained.

Hinata gave Naruto a worried look. "Are you sure?" she asked softly.

The blond hanyou nodded. "I'm positive. I almost feel it as powerfully as I feel the love you hold for me coursing around us right now," he said softly.

Hinata activated her Byakugan, and scanned around Konoha to see if she could find anything out of place. "I'm not seeing anything with my Byakugan. Do you think we should go tell Tsunade-sama?" she asked, concerned for her friend.

Naruto nodded, and replied, "It's our duty as shinobi to keep the village safe, right? We're supposed to report to our superiors about such things." With that, he leaped over to the window, opened it, and called back, "Meet you outside!" With that, the former jinchuuriki exited through the window, like his teachers before him.

Hinata giggled lightly as she went to get changed. "Some things never change with you, do they, Naruto-kun?" she laughed softly.

A few minutes later, at the Hokage's Tower...

"So you're saying you felt a great amount of malice somewhere nearby?" the Godaime asked.

Naruto nodded. "It's been itching at my senses for the past few hours...I can't sleep because of it, either!" he explained.

Tsunade was angry, and would have punched Naruto's lights out, but the look in his eyes was dead serious. "Explain what you...sensed, please," she stated, controlling her breathing. If it wasn't the paperwork, it was always something else.

Naruto frowned. "It was feeling many kinds of negativity, but most of all, whatever it is, it seeks vengeance against its brother. That was screaming out above all of the other thoughts," he said in a foreboding manner.

Tsunade's eyes widened. "ANBU!" she exclaimed, and a small group assembled in an instant. "Keep an eye out for anybody suspicious in the area around the village. Keep me aware of what's going on out there. It looks like Sasuke Uchiha may be in the area..." she commanded, then made a motion with her hands, and the group scattered to do her bidding. "Please be careful, Naruto. If he's here for what I think he wants, he'll likely be coming after you," she said, worry lacing her voice. "Try to get some sleep tonight, you two, but be ready to wake up and defend yourselves at any time," the blonde Hokage commanded Naruto and Hinata, praying inwardly for her favorite brat and his new girlfriend.

Hinata and Naruto nodded. "We'll be careful, Hokage-sama," the former heiress replied.

With that, the two of them headed back home...

The next morning...

Hinata woke up to the smell of something...burning!

"Neechan! Help!" Hanabi cried out from the hallway.

Hinata bolted out of her bed, not even bothering to change out of her pajamas. Upon leaving her bedroom, though, she saw her sister standing there, completely unharmed. "What's wrong, Imoutochan?" the elder sister asked the younger.

Hanabi waved her arms in panic. "Daddy's burning breakfast! Quick, you have to do something about it!" she explained.

Hinata sighed. It wasn't an attack. It was her father failing at making breakfast! This was why the Branch Family members refused to allow him to cook anything...

Soon enough, Hinata saved breakfast. Naruto had been out getting orange juice from the market and had returned as well, so the group sat down to eat.

For a time, they were silent, until Hanabi decided to put a stop to it. "So, when should I be expecting some adorable nieces and nephews, you two?" she asked bluntly.

Hinata flushed heavily, extremely embarrassed. Hiashi nearly choked on his food. Naruto answered, "Probably about a year or so after we're married. Hinata-chan said she'd like to have around three kids, and I'd have to say that's a good number."

Hinata's blush grew even heavier, and she found that she was having difficulty remaining conscious. Hiashi, however, seemed severely...miffed. "Why wasn't I informed you two were getting married soon?" he asked, offended.

Naruto blinked. "Soon? No, we haven't made plans, but I'm just thinking that Hinata-chan and I get along so well, it's as inevitable as her promotion to Special Jounin, and I'm willing to bet big money that that promotion will come before the end of the year!" the blond Gennin exclaimed, causing Hinata to turn even redder. "I mean, Hinata-chan would make a great wife and partner to me in all respects! She can cook food I enjoy, she likes cuddling, and she can kick my rear end in if I ever make a mistake big enough to deserve it!" he said proudly, then raised Hinata's hand in the air, and shouted, "Here's to the best soon-to-be wife ever!"

Hinata couldn't take it anymore. She passed out sitting there, next to Naruto. "Hinata? Hinata?! Darn it! I did it again!" Naruto exclaimed, causing Hiashi to chuckle and Hanabi to pound the table with laughter.

Neji suddenly entered, having opted to train before breakfast. Observing the scene before him, he had to smile. "So, what did I miss this time?" Everybody laughed a little harder at this, and Neji sat down as Naruto got him a plate.

Later on with Hinata and Hanabi...

Hanabi walked with her still-unconscious sister on her back, heading over to their favorite bakery. She giggled occasionally at a combination of how light her sister was (or maybe she was just that strong?), the things she'd mumble in her unconscious state, and how Naruto was failing at hiding himself properly as he tailed them. The villagers might have stared if it were somebody else on the Hyuuga heiress's back, but they were used to seeing Hinata unconscious, due to how easy it was to make her faint, so they just pushed it to the back of their minds and let the sisters be.

Soon enough, Hinata woke up and climbed off the younger girl's back, beginning to fuss with her as she told her how she shouldn't carry her, and that it might be hurting her back. Soon enough, Hinata was fixing up Hanabi's long hair, which had been messed up a bit by Hinata resting on it.

"But Neechan! I'm going to be a shinobi! Part of that means I have to be able to carry my knocked out comrades to safety! Besides, you're pretty light, anyway, and I train enough that I can carry dead weight just fine!" the younger sister reassured the older, pouting.

Hinata sighed. "Please, don't remind me. I know it's peacetime, but a lot of bad things are happening in the shinobi world right now, and I can't help but pray that you don't pass the exam until after it's settled down," she said, hugging her sister. "Have I ever told you how much your smile reminds me of Mother's?"

Hanabi smiled. "Only a thousand times, Neechan! But you look so much more like her than I do! Why don't you feel that your smile reminds you of her more?" the young kunoichi-in-training asked.

Hinata giggled. "My smile might be more like hers, but it also might not. I honestly will never know, because it's my smile. I can smile at myself in the mirror, but a reflection doesn't have the same effect as a smile from a real person. My Clone Jutsu can smile at me, but that form of Clone doesn't have any feelings, so its not a real smile. If I were able to use Shadow Clone Jutsu, though, maybe, but...Well, either way, your smile is beautiful and full of life, like Mother's was. And whenever I see it on you, I'm reminded that she didn't leave me alone when she died, and that both you and I have a piece of her left inside ourselves," the blunette explained.

Hinata heard somebody say, "Awww," a distance away, and turned to see Naruto looking like he'd just heard the sweetest thing ever, until he gave out a surprised yelp at being discovered and quickly hid behind a tree.

Hanabi giggled. "He's been tailing us for a while now. He's not very good at hiding, though, is he?" she said, smirking.

Hinata gave a knowing grin. "He's better than you think. If he wanted us to be unaware of him, he could easily sneak up on us and we wouldn't know until he revealed himself," the shy girl said, proud of her boyfriend.

Hanabi gave her sister a funny look. "You're kidding, right? Is he really that good?" she asked.

Hinata had to keep from snorting in laughter. "You remember that one morning when the Hokage Stone Faces were all painted in graffiti? He was the one who did that, and he wasn't caught until a few hours after it was discovered!" she said, then burst out giggling.

Hanabi gaped. "B-but that would mean he got past ANBU, and anybody else patrolling the village at the time, and kept them in the dark about it for as long as it took him to do it!" she exclaimed.

Hinata nodded. "He's done some other impressive things, too, but I'll tell you that when we get to the bakery," she offered.

The two sisters headed off, with Naruto following as he kept a protective eye on them...

A few minutes later, with Sakura...

As Sakura passed Kiba dragging an irate Naruto somewhere, saying something about girls needing their time to themselves, the rosette saw Hinata and Hanabi sitting at a table outside of their favorite bakery. She waved, and headed over to hang out with them. "Hey you two! How are you doing?" she asked, pulling out a chair and sitting with them.

Hanabi grinned, swallowing a bite of a cinnamon bun. "I'm doing great! I'm really glad I'm still able to hang out with Neechan like this," she replied.

Hinata sighed. "I'm doing okay, but Naruto-kun and I got a scare last night," she said, intending to warn Sakura about Sasuke possibly being around.

"Oh, really? Did it have anything to do with me?" a familiar voice said from a nearby tree. Suddenly, each girl's world grew dark...

At the same time, with Naruto...

Naruto was still struggling against Kiba, since he couldn't use his full strength with the hold the dog-lover had on him (wouldn't want to tear his arms off, right?), when he sensed something was wrong and suddenly became still while gaining a far-off look in his eyes, startling Kiba. "Oi, Naruto! What happened?" he asked, becoming worried.

Suddenly, an explosion was heard, gaining the attention of both boys, along with every shinobi within five miles. Since Kiba was distracted, Naruto quickly moved the older boy's arms out of the proper position for his hold, and ran towards the explosion, the dog-user whistling for Akamaru as he chased after the blond.

The blue-eyed hanyou arrived at the bakery where the explosion occurred a moment later to find a tall man with orange hair and strange growths on his body, wearing what appeared to be prison clothes, attacking people left and right, killing almost everybody he touched, and destroying a good portion of the market district as he did so, laughing maniacally all the while. Naruto looked at the table where Hinata and Hanabi had been sitting, only to see that it had been sliced cleanly in half, and that there was no sign of either girl. It was obvious, however, that this orange-haired giant hadn't been the one to take them away. Reaching his senses out, he sensed the man with the great desire for vengeance, Sasuke, he believed he was called, on the other side of the village, along with the chakra signatures of Hinata, Hanabi, and Sakura, as well as two unknown chakra signatures. He was startled out of his thoughts, however, when the monster of a man destroying the area rushed him "HAHAHA! I DON'T CARE WHAT HE SAYS! I'LL KILL YOU LIKE THE OTHERS!" the crazed man shouted, only to be blindsided by Kiba and Akamaru.

"Damn it, Naruto, snap out of it!" Kiba shouted, then paled as he noticed that his and Akamaru's attack did little to affect its target. The giant grinned and rushed at Kiba, chakra jets propelling him forward and powering his punch.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall!" a voice called out, and an earthen wall rose, impeding Kiba's attacker long enough for him to get out of the way. Iruka Umino, the Chuunin Academy instructor, had been the one to use the technique. However, this alerted the large attacker to his position, and his arm reached, stretching out and grabbing the teacher, but his enlarged hand crushed nothing but a log. Iruka revealed himself next to Naruto, grinning slightly. "Sorry I haven't been able to visit, Naruto. The Academy has been hell to teach the past few months!" he said humorously.

Memories once lost began clicking into place in Naruto's mind. Tears forming in his eyes, he glomped the man, and cried out, "Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka would have laughed happily at this, but as they fell to the ground in a heap, he saw something Naruto didn't. The beast of an attacker had morphed his forearm so that a curved blade was coming out of it, and brought it to bear on the unaware blond. The veteran Chuunin quickly performed a seal-less Substitution Jutsu, substituting himself with Naruto, making it so he was shielding the hanyou with his body, instead of the other way around. Iruka grunted, feeling the blade slice across his back, and grinned again at Naruto. "Looks like I got my back torn open by something sharp again for you, Naruto. Don't worry, this one's not as deep as the last one," he said, then got worried when he saw the terrified look in Naruto's eyes. He quickly got up to show that he was all right, but upon seeing his beloved teacher taking a blow for him again, something inside Naruto snapped.

A quick pulse of chakra pushed Iruka back, and before the scar-nosed man's eyes, Naruto transformed in a blast of red and black chakra. The skin on his hands was quickly replaced with red and black chakra. The phenomenon happened all over Naruto's body, and when it was over, the chakra covered his entire being, his eyes and mouth giving off an eerie white light. **"I won't let you hurt my friends...EVER AGAIN!"** Naruto shouted, grabbing the orange-haired man with one of his hands and throwing him high into the air. As his opponent sailed skyward, energy gathered at Naruto's mouth, swirling into a ball of violent light. And then, Naruto fired it in three powerful blasts, aiming for his still-airborne enemy. **"Chakra Gun Volley!"**

Two of the blasts exploded in the spot where the crazed man was last seen, showing that they were meeting resistance, and that their target was still there. The third one kept sailing into the sky until it exploded against the atmosphere, a mere pinprick of light to the people on the ground. Nothing was left of the target. The large man, whose name Naruto hadn't ever heard in the fight, was gone. Steam rose from Naruto's eyes, and Iruka, being one of the people who knew Naruto so well, understood that his former student was crying. "Naruto? What's wrong?" he asked, concerned for his little brother figure.

"**That man...He had two personalities. One of them was the horrible killer we fought, but the other...The other was a gentle soul, one who loved all life, and was so at peace with nature that he could speak with the animals as if they were his closest friends...His death was quick and mostly painless, but I honestly wish he could have lived,"** the blond said softly, regretting having to kill the man. He shook his head free of those thoughts, and growled. **"That Sasuke guy has Hinata-chan, Hanabi, and Sakura. I've gotta save them!"** he exclaimed. It was then that another transformation occurred. The black and red chakra receded, and was replaced by golden chakra. Intricate patterns appeared on Naruto's torso, and his mouth and eyes returned to looking human again. "I'll be back soon, Iruka-sensei," he said, then disappeared in a flash of golden chakra.

Meanwhile, with Hinata, Hanabi, and Sakura...

Hinata was terrified. Not just for herself, but for her sister, and Sakura as well. They had woken up in an unknown location with no clothes on, their chakra sealed, and restrained in a position that exposed their lower privates. It was obvious that Sasuke wanted them to be more than just hostages to attract Naruto.

"You three..." he said, looking at each of them apathetically, "...will be used as a safeguard, in case Itachi manages to kill me when I fight him. You are each currently capable of bearing children, even the small one. So, I will impregnate each of you before I kill Naruto." He turned to Hinata as he said this, and added, "You, Hinata, will bring me great pleasure when I steal away your virginity. Always, you fawned over the dead last, despite my requests for you to become my bride. Now, I will TAKE what I want from you, and that dope won't be able to do a thing about it!"

Hinata grimaced, remembering the day Sasuke had come to see her, asking for her hand in marriage...

Flashback...

Hinata sighed. She was not happy at all. Sasuke had asked her to see him after class, and now she stood here before him, wondering what he'd wanted.

Sasuke grinned. "What I'm about to ask will make you very happy, Hinata-chan," he said smugly, then got on his knees before her, and asked, "Hinata Hyuuga, will you marry me?"

Hinata hesitated, nervous to tell the boy no. She'd heard what normally happened when Sasuke Uchiha was told no when he asked for something. It was not pretty.

Noticing Hinata's hesitation, Sasuke growled. He got up, and grabbed the girl's arm. "Answer me, bitch!" he roared.

Hinata tried to escape, but Sasuke's grip was firm. So, she smashed her palm into his chest, pushing chakra into her palm, and knocking Sasuke back into the wall on the other side of the room.

"There's only one boy I like, Sasuke-san...It's not you," she said softly, but firmly. With that, she walked away, knowing that somebody would find the boy soon...

End Flashback...

Hinata frowned. "Looking back, I don't regret telling you off at all," she said, her eyes firm even as Sasuke's cold glare peered into them.

Suddenly, a red-haired woman entered the room. "Sasuke-kun, he's here! He's already killed Juugo, and now he's fighting Suigetsu! You don't have much-" she said, then was interrupted when a wall came down on the other side of the room.

Naruto walked in, and quickly became angry at the sight before him. "You didn't just take them? You trussed them up like low-hanging chandeliers, and naked at that?! I don't care if you're someone who was supposedly my friend once, I will KILL YOU!" he roared, creating a shadow clone to take care of the girls and his other opponent (who happened to be female as well) and rushing at Sasuke. As soon as Naruto tackled the former Uchiha heir, the two of them vanished in a flash of golden light. The shadow clone who remained behind glared at the red-head in the room. "Either you surrender peacefully, or I'll kill you like the other three. I'm not going to ask twice," he growled.

Karin let out a squeak, and tossed the keys to the restraints in Naruto's direction. "Okay, I surrender! I was starting to not like the guy anyway!" she exclaimed, bowing to the floor in submission.

The clone nodded, and after creating another of his kind to take Karin to the authorities, he quickly undid the restraints, creating more clones who gave the girls their jackets. They soon left the building, which, oddly enough, was the old Uchiha Police Force HQ...

Meanwhile, with Naruto and Sasuke...

The two fighting shinobi had appeared far from where they had disappeared, but in a very fitting place.

"So, Naruto, this is where you chose to meet your end, huh? It's fitting. The Valley of the End...We've fought here once before, haven't we?" Sasuke said as the two fell apart, as if feeling nostalgic.

Naruto simply growled. "You won't walk away from here, Sasuke. I will END YOU!" he shouted, forming a Rasengan in his hand.

Sasuke grinned, forming a Chidori in his hand, intending to kill the man he once called his friend. However, Naruto wasn't going to give Sasuke what he wanted. Disappearing again, he reappeared behind the insane Uchiha, and smashed the Rasengan into his backside, causing Sasuke to go flying.

Naruto wasn't done, though, as he appeared again in the raven-haired boy's flight path, bashing him into the water below them with a hammer blow, the Uchiha scion falling through the surface of the water like a stone.

The young hanyou landed on the water's surface, waiting for his opponent to surface. Soon, though, the water sparked with electricity, shocking Naruto and causing his muscles to stiffen.

Sasuke rose from the water, Chidori in hand, prepared to sever his former friend's head, and with it, all of his ties to the Leaf. "It's over," he stated without emotion.

Blood dripped on the water between them.

"You're right about that, Sasuke," Naruto said, his tail reemerging from the Sharingan wielder's torso, where it had just pierced through his heart. "Over for you."

The body of Sasuke Uchiha fell down, and Naruto quickly picked it up, feeling some sort of need to bring it back to Konoha with him.

With that single death, the plans of several evildoers were put on hold for a time.

At the gates of Konoha...

Naruto appeared at the great gate of Konoha, having walked most of the way, only teleporting when he got close to home. He walked to the gates with Sasuke's dead body in tow. The gate guards let him in, startled to see that he appeared in such a way but happy to see him nonetheless. One of the shinobi on duty took Sasuke's body, and Hinata, who had sensed his chakra, rushed to Naruto, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, Naruto-kun," she said softly, nuzzling against him.

Hanabi and Hiashi, who had been with Hinata, smiled at the couple, and the man hugged his younger daughter to him. "I owe that boy so much, Hanabi. I'm glad you're safe, and your sister, too," he said warmly, then picked her up gently and continued, "Let's get you home. I'm going to schedule a session for you with Inoichi-san, to make sure you're okay."

Hanabi nodded. "Thanks Daddy," she said softly, then called out, "Thank you Naruto! I'll see you and Neechan again soon, okay?"

Naruto turned to smile at the small girl in her father's arms, and replied, "Sure, but next time, Hiashi isn't cooking!"

This got a bit of a chuckle from everybody around, and Naruto led Hinata home, intent on making sweet love to her soon, now that that had been put behind them forever...

Meanwhile, with Sakura...

Sakura grimaced, having redressed shortly after getting out of that place. She stared at Sasuke's dead face, and, in an instant, slapped it. "Good riddance to bad rubbish," she growled, swiftly turning around and walking out of the room, never to look at the Uchiha traitor's face again...

Later, with Naruto and Hinata...

Hinata giggled as Naruto carried her into the house. "What are we going to do now, Naruto-kun?" she asked, a smile on her face.

Naruto's entire answer to this was to give Hinata a cheeky grin, then lean down and nip her neck ever so gently. Hinata leaned into his touch as much as she could from her position in his arms. Naruto smiled slightly, then kissed the spot he had nipped. Hinata moaned quietly; the feel of his lips on her neck like that, being in his arms, the fear, excitement, and tension of the day, it was all catching up to her at once and making her extremely excitable. As Naruto rubbed her back and gently pinched the skin along her spine, she trembled in excitement as chills ran up and down her spine.

Naruto chuckled, "You're getting aroused, Hime," he said playfully. He leaned down and kissed her gently, which Hinata was all too happy to return. He chuckled; the smell of her arousal was driving him crazy, but he was determined to take it slow and gentle with her. She'd had a hard enough day without this making it worse somehow.

Carrying his aroused girlfriend to the bedroom, the hanyou set her down on the bed, Naruto flipped off the lights with one of his tails. Grinning down at her in the semi-darkness of the room. The late evening sun shone through the window behind them, bathing Hinata's pale skin in reddish light and making it seem to almost glow. Hinata shyly smiled up at her long-time love. Reaching up, she stroked his foxy ears gently, which caused Naruto to let out a purr of contentment. Of course, that's not quite what she was going for, but he wasn't complaining.

Naruto reached up with one of his tails and slowly unzipped the jacket she was wearing. As it slid down, he marveled at how perfect her skin was as each inch was revealed. When he reached up with one hand to open it further, Hinata stopped him. Naruto looked at her in surprise and immediately pulled back when he saw the look of fear in her eyes. "What's wrong, Hime?" he asked her gently, reaching up with one hand to stroke her cheek softly.

Hinata leaned into his touch, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, it's just, when you started to uncover...my breasts, I remembered when Sasuke had me...hanging up earlier," she said, her fear and sorrow obvious in her voice. "How do you do it? How do you get through something so painful, so scary, and still keep your sanity?"

Naruto sighed and sat beside her. "When I was trapped by Danzou-teme, there was one thing I focused on when things were at their worst," he said, running a hand gently up and down her arm. Hinata watched him closely, curious what he would say. "I kept thinking of you, Hime. I kept remembering how you'd always been there for me and how I never told you how I felt. I promised myself that somehow, some day, I'd tell you how I felt. It was thinking of you and how happy we would be someday in the future that kept me going through the worst days. I guess...when things are at their worst, you just have to remember how good they can be and focus on getting through the bad times so you can see more good ones."

Hinata thought about that a moment about what he'd said, then nodded and slowly, hesitantly, removed the jacket herself, exposing all of herself to him. "You're right, Naruto-kun," she said. "I'll be okay as long as you're with me." Reaching up, she cupped his chin and turned him to face her. She kissed his lips softly, then whispered into his super-sensitive ear, "Now come on, let's make some good memories together."

Naruto nodded and rose long enough to undress, which he did slowly, teasingly. Hinata giggled, but she had to admit, to herself at least, his show aroused her even more. Once he was done, the blond hanyou came to the bed and crawled up on it, smiling down at his girlfriend as he did. Leaning down, he kissed her deeply, wrapping his arms around her. Hinata responded in kind, their bodies pressing into one another as they kissed deeply, lovingly.

Naruto ran his hands up and down Hinata's body, worshiping her body with his touch. As he ran his hands over her, he also reached to her body with his tails and ran those over her. He discovered quickly that certain spots made her retreat and others made her more excited, so he focused his tails on the latter. For Hinata, this was a whole new level of feeling. His tails and hands working together were building her up to a frenzied state. Breaking their kiss, she looked up into her boyfriend's eyes and whispered intensely, "Make love to me, Naruto-kun. Make me yours."

Naruto chuckled and whispered back, "Yes, ma'am." He reached down her body, rubbing her belly lightly until he got to her most private area. Lining himself up with her, he looked into her eyes, asking silently if she was sure. Hinata nodded. He slowly began to press forward into her. Hinata gasped as the pressure increased in her core. As he pushed slowly deeper, he stopped when he felt a barrier in front of him. He looked at Hinata again, part confused what that was, part wondering what to do. Hinata just nodded again, so he pushed harder until it broke.

Hinata gasped and whimpered slightly as her hymen was breached. Pulling Naruto down to her, she bit his neck hard to prevent herself from screaming out in pain. Unbeknownst to her, this only aroused Naruto further, which caused him to act somewhat on instinct and begin to move inside her. As he did, the pain quickly faded and was replaced by the most intense pleasure Hinata had ever felt in her life.

As the young couple's bodies moved with one another, their heartbeats synchronized, their breathing became as one, and their very souls bonded to one another. Naruto smiled at his lover and whispered, "I love you, Hime."

Hinata blushed, then whispered back, "I love you, too, Naruto-kun." Naruto continued to move within Hinata's body, both of them reaching new levels of pleasure with each new stimulus. As the two began to match their rhythms to one another, their bodies became closer with each thrust, and the young couple were surprised to feel even their chakra flows synchronize with one another.

Hinata was alternately gasping, moaning, and crying out in her pleasure. Naruto was almost growling in response. Suddenly, Hinata shot forward and bit Naruto's shoulder again, harder than before. Naruto responded by biting Hinata's own shoulder. The pain both felt strangely added to their already intense pleasure. Naruto's thrusts increased in speed, and Hinata's own movements did as well, causing Naruto to plunge deeper into her body with each passing moment. Both teens were rapidly approaching their climax, which both knew instinctively would be the most intense pleasure they would ever feel.

Naruto pulled almost all the way out of Hinata and thrust back into her hard one final time, releasing his grip on her shoulder and letting out a feral howl as he hit his climax. Hinata, who had been holding back her own climax, could do so no longer and let out a loud moan as she climaxed not once, but twice as she felt Naruto's seed enter her. Naruto leaned down and kissed her deeply as he slid out of her. He collapsed on the bed beside her, and the two curled up into one another. Naruto whispered, "You're mine now...now and always."

Hinata blushed slightly in the darkness of the room. "Yes, Naruto-kun," she answered quietly. "I'm yours...now and forever." With that, the young lovers each wrapped the other in a tight personal embrace and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep...

Later on, with Tsunade and Jiraiya...

Tsunade groaned. "You mean this _isn't_ a contraceptive seal? Then what kind of seal did I put on poor Hinata?!" she asked irritably.

Jiraiya looked at the seal with a critical eye. "This seal basically guarantees that the woman wearing it will become pregnant if she has sex before it wears off," he explained, then groaned as well. "I _really_ hope those two haven't gotten hot and heavy yet! If they have a kid, things will go to Hell in a hand-basket!" he exclaimed.

Tsunade sighed. "If that happens, I can't _wait_ to deal with the council," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The two of them had no idea just how much was going to happen in the next few months that would have them up all night...

End Chapter Four


	5. The Happiness Love Brings

Hanyou Memories

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that is used in this work of fanfiction, including, but not limited to, Killer Bee's inner oxtopus. Yes, that's what I'm calling it, and nobody can tell me it's not an oxtopus!

Chapter Five

_The Happiness Love Brings_

The next morning

Naruto woke up feeling well rested. Looking next to him, he saw his lover, Hinata, sleeping peacefully, her arms still wrapped partially around his body, as his arms were with hers. The blond hanyou sniffed the air and smiled. He knew instinctively that the scent of their mating would never leave either of their bodies, but to actually smell it brought a sense of fulfillment to him. "Our bond is so much stronger now," he whispered to himself. He could feel it, too. Before, he'd feel such a wonderful feeling whenever he was with her, and a feeling of...distance...whenever they were apart. But now, that wonderful feeling was so much greater! Naturally, the feeling of distance between them when they were apart would intensify as well, but he could probably deal with it. Getting up, he quickly got dressed and decided to make some food for them. She wouldn't mind if it was just some ramen, right?

A few minutes later

Hinata awoke, feeling...unusual. She felt, for some odd reason, that Naruto was too far away, like he had gone on another training trip or something. She didn't know why, seeing as he was apparently just a few rooms away in the kitchen making some ramen, if the smell was anything to go by. Feeling a little sore from last night's activities, she slowly stood up and got dressed as quickly as she could. She didn't know why, but she _needed_ to be near Naruto.

Then she realized something else. It was still dark out, and the lights were out, but she could see perfectly fine. Normally, her activated Byakugan would give her decent night vision, but it wasn't activated, and she could see the whole room in perfect detail. She soon noticed something else new. Normally, she wouldn't be able to hear what was going on in the kitchen so well from her bedroom, but not only could she do that, she could even smell what flavor of ramen Naruto was making, along with Naruto himself! _"He smells nice...but this is really strange! I've got to tell Naruto-kun!"_ she thought to herself.

Soon enough, she was in the kitchen, at which point the feeling of Naruto being distant went away. She could still smell his scent too strongly for it to be normal, though, not to mention what her other senses were doing. And now...now she was starting to just want to go over to Naruto and cuddle against him. Sure, she'd normally want to do that, but now she wanted to do it _so badly._ She just wanted to melt in his arms and shower him with affection as he did the same for her, as she somehow knew he would.

"N-no...I don't understand...What's happening to me?" the blunette mumbled as the edges of her vision started to darken. As she started tumbling to the floor, she could faintly hear Naruto shout her name, and the last thing she saw before she blacked out was Naruto's face as he held her...

Later, at the hospital

Naruto frowned a bit. "You don't know what's wrong with her?" he asked worriedly.

Tsunade sighed. "I have a basic idea of what's wrong with her, but I've never encountered it before. Fortunately, it's not detrimental to her health. It was just a change that startled her. That, and she's still tired out from your..._activities_ from last night," the medic explained, grinning lightly at that last part. Continuing, she said, "From what I can tell, being too far away from you causes her to feel a sort of fear. She said that she felt an unpleasant feeling of emptiness when you were further from the room, but when she got close to you, she got rosy-cheeked, her heartbeat sped up a bit, and she told me she felt a lot happier."

Naruto sighed. "She's going through what I've been going through, then," he said softly.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto elaborated, "I didn't want anybody to worry, since, from what I could tell, I'd been feeling this ever since I'd fallen for Hinata-chan, but I've been having these heated feelings in my chest whenever she's near, and when she's not close enough, it will feel like she's a million miles away, and it's not a good feeling. Well, the faraway feeling isn't good, I mean. Being near her, though...it's incredible. Either way, ever since we've made love, I've felt it in even greater intensity, and now, she's feeling it too, apparently."

Tsunade smiled. "So you have feelings that encourage closeness to each other...that's not bad at all. But now we need to check her over and see what other things have changed. I know for a fact she's healing faster now, since the puncture wound in her arm closed seconds after we drew blood, and her senses have increased in sensitivity, if what she's told me is true. I'd normally want to keep you both for observation, but I can just live with you two for a while and do it in a more comfortable environment. After all, I know how much you hate hospitals," she said with a grin. Then, while blushing a little and looking hesitant, she asked, "Also, I know I'm probably not the best person for the job, but, well...you're still legally a child, in some regards, and, if you'd like, I'd be happy to adopt you."

Naruto smiled a tiny smile that started getting bigger and bigger. "That would actually make me very happy, Tsunade-kaachan," he said warmly.

Tsunade nodded, closing her eyes a bit. "Good to hear!" she exclaimed with a grin, then added, "You're exactly the kind of son I'd want, anyway, give or take a few details. A little brat I can tease to my heart's content!"

Naruto grinned. "You tease me all the time anyway, if I remember correctly!" he laughed happily.

Tsunade grinned even more, competing with Naruto's. "And now that you're all nice and happy, your girlfriend has some news for you that will be the cherry on top! Go see her, you little brat!" she laughed, shoving the unsuspecting hanyou into the room where Hinata was resting.

Hinata's face brightened considerably upon seeing Naruto in the room. "Naruto-kun!" she called out, getting up to give the young man a hug. The blunette snuggled against Naruto's chest as he held her. "Did Tsunade tell you about her idea, and what's going on?" she asked.

Naruto nodded, smiling as he kissed the top of Hinata's head. "Yeah. She decided to adopt me, too," the blue-eyed hanyou said softly, then added, "She also told me you had some good news for me. Mind telling me?"

The former Hyuuga heiress blushed. "Y-you know how Tsunade-sama got me a seal to k-keep me from getting p-pregnant?" she asked. Naruto nodded, remembering waiting outside of the room as the aged medic applied said seal. Hinata continued, "I-it was faulty...As it t-turns out, the company that sells the s-seal got their order mixed up with the order from a c-company that sells seals to ensure p-pregnancy. So...I'm p-pregnant, Naruto-kun. W-we're gonna be a family!"

Somehow, Naruto knew that, if it were possible to explode from happiness, he would have turned the village into a crater just then. Lifting his girlfriend up, he began spinning her around, and the two laughed happily. Grinning, Naruto told Hinata, still spinning, "I have a big surprise for you, too, when we get home! I was going to give it to you on our next date, but I think this is special enough of an occasion for me to give it to you early!"

Hinata giggled. "Why don't you just get that surprise ready, and I'll make us a picnic so we can have that date?" she suggested as Naruto stopped spinning and put her down. The pale-eyed girl stood on her tippy toes and gave her boyfriend an Eskimo kiss, then pulled back and said, "You make me so happy, Naruto-kun."

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto replied, "Well, I try! You do a pretty good job of making me happy, too!"

Hinata let out a surprised laugh. "You're too sweet! Now, let's get going. I can't wait to see what surprise you have for me!" she exclaimed.

After Hinata changed back into her clothes, the two lovers left, very happy with themselves and each other, one of them unaware that their happiness was going to get another boost pretty soon.

Later, at the park

Hinata giggled as Naruto fed her some of the food she'd made. The former jinchuuriki had gobbled down his portion, and now he was making sure she got her fill. She would occasionally give his ears a rub or two, causing the fox-boy to purr happily. Seeing the content smile on her face, Naruto asked, "Do my babies like it when I feed them?"

Hinata laughed. "You think we'll be having more than one?" she asked.

Naruto shook his head. "I didn't mean that. Whatever's in here is my baby," he said, rubbing the former heiress's belly through her jacket, then poked her nose and added, "And you're my baby, too!"

This made Hinata laugh even harder. "I-I think _you're_ the real b-baby in this relationship," the pearl-eyed girl stammered after calming down, then added, "You may be stronger, but I think I still have to teach you a few things. Besides, I'd enjoy babying you a bit!"

Naruto smiled warmly at her. "You'd make a great mom, Hinata. Any kid we have will be lucky to have you as their mom," he said, then kissed the girl's nose and teased, "But you can't be my mom! Tsunade-kaachan already has that job!"

The two of them laughed, amusing Tsunade's shadow clone, who was watching them discreetly from a distance. The chakra construct smiled. She might have been there to make sure Hinata's pregnancy wouldn't cause any adverse affects to her body, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy watching her adopted son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law bond while doing so.

Grinning, Naruto planted a kiss on Hinata's forehead. "I promised you a surprise, didn't I?" he asked. Hinata nodded, giggling lightly as Naruto wiggled his eyebrows. "Well, I've kept you close to my heart for a while, and now, I want to give you a more permanent residence near it," he said, knowing that while her 'residence' was already permanent, he wanted everybody else to know. "Tsunade-kaachan gave this to me a while back, and while I was going to wait a little longer to give it to you, well, with all the happiness between us today, I couldn't be patient anymore!" he exclaimed, making exaggerated gestures as he made himself look impatient. Suddenly, he was on his knees, a velvet-covered black box in his hand, and he asked, "Please marry me, Hinata-chan?" With that, he opened the box, revealing a worn, but well-kept, gold ring. On the ring was a red gem with a swirl pattern going through it, and said gem shone like fire. "It was my mother's," the fox-boy explained.

Hinata gasped upon seeing the ring. "N-Naruto-kun...It's beautiful! But how could you ask such a question? Of course I'm going to marry you!" she replied happily, then pulled her fiancé up and added, "You should know that by now, silly!"

Naruto's eyes teared up. "Of course I know. I was just being selfish, wanting to hear you say yes!" he exclaimed happily. "Now we just need to figure out when we're going to get married, and the various details that come along with weddings. I hear planning one can be hell, but if I'm marrying you, I'd definitely go through that hardship, and any others!"

Hinata giggled, tears of joy in her eyes as well. "Let's go tell my father the good news, Naruto-kun!" she replied, elated.

Naruto smirked, picking the young woman up in his arms. "Good thing I sent a shadow clone to get his permission while you weren't looking! Not that he could stop me by saying no!" he laughed, then sprinted off to the Hyuuga compound.

Tsunade's shadow clone jumped from the tree she'd been hiding in, shouting after the couple, "Oi! Wait up!"

Later, in Hiashi's Office

The eldest, and only, Hyuuga in the room nodded. "I'm happy to hear she said yes, Uzumaki. Not that I expected Hinata to say no to such a thing. After all, she's wanted it for longer than you have, I believe," Hiashi stated, then continued, "However, I'm hoping that you didn't decide to ask that question now simply because she's carrying your child."

Naruto shook his head. "No, sir. I'd been working up the courage to ask you for permission weeks ago when I got the ring. I was very nervous, because, no offense, you're a very...terrifying man sometimes. The happiness I felt earlier today, which I will admit was partially because of Hinata-chan's pregnancy, so it's indirectly at fault, helped me get over my nervousness and ask your permission, as well as Hinata's, to marry her. I'm just...very happy right now, and I want to keep it going. I promise I will be faithful to her, and I will do everything I can to keep her happy. Naturally, I'll do the same for our kids. After all, happier kids are healthier kids, ne?" he explained, cracking a smile at the end.

Hiashi harrumphed. "Just make sure you give me time to spoil my grandchildren. I may not be their grandfather legally anymore, but I will always be thinking about my growing family," he said, grinning lightly. Turning to Hinata, the Hyuuga patriarch suggested, "You should go see your sister and cousin. They will be happy to see you. Just make sure you keep an eye on your ruffian of a fiancé."

Hinata nodded, and she and Naruto left the room. A vein throbbed in Hiashi's forehead as he looked up to the ceiling and asked, "I don't know why you were spying on that meeting, Tsunade-sama, but would you please not sneak through the air vents of my home?"

A loud thump and a puff of smoke made Hiashi realize that, one, Tsunade didn't know she'd been caught, and two, she was a shadow clone. He got a good chuckle when he activated his Byakugan and saw the real Tsunade jump in surprise suddenly in the Hokage's office. _"I still got it."_

Later that Day, at the Hokage's Office

Jiraiya laughed as he patted Tsunade on the back. "I bet the brat's really happy, having a mom like you! And you probably don't mind the fact that he's not calling you 'Baa-chan' anymore, right?" he said jovially, then asked, "I've gotta wonder why you only did it just now, though. Why did you wait so long?"

Tsunade sighed. "I didn't want to adopt him before because I felt like I'd be trying to replace Kushina. We both know I can't be half the mom she would have been. But he needs somebody to keep him safe from those old coots on the council now," she explained. "Danzou may be gone, but the fact is, he was one of the votes that would keep Naruto from being executed when the civilian council got into a fit over his right to exist. Homura and Koharu helped me keep them calm last time, but they made it clear it was only because Naruto is an asset to the village. If anything happened that could change that, they'd change their minds in a heartbeat."

Jiraiya nodded. "I guess you made the right choice. After all, we can't reveal his parentage right now, with his amnesia still in effect. Either way, this makes you happy, right? You and Dan were hoping to have a kid or two, after all," the toad sage replied.

Tsunade smiled warmly, a far-off look on her face. "He's a good kid, Jiraiya. His happiness is infectious, as is his desire to do good. Even without his parents being who they are and his jinchuuriki status, he's definitely an asset to our village, and the world in general," she said, then turned to Jiraiya and continued, "You once asked me if I believe in heroes. I just laughed back then, but Naruto really does make me believe. There really are heroes among us."

Jiraiya grinned. "Just like in my book, huh?"

Laughing, Tsunade answered, "If you mean the one good book you wrote, yes, just like that!" The two laughed more for a while, but, soon enough, it died down. Turning sober suddenly, the slug summoner asked, "Do you really have to go? I could send somebody else, and you could-"

"No, Hime. You know it has to be me. Nobody else would make it to the Rain Village, much less get the information we need," Jiraiya said sternly. Seeing his friend and crush so saddened, though, he decided to take a gamble and smiled, saying, "Your luck still sucks, right? Just bet that I won't come home, and all will be well!"

Tsunade frowned. "Fine. I bet you'll never come back. I bet ten thousand ryo right now that I'll never see you again," she said.

Jiraiya grinned. "And I bet that I'll come back, and when I win, I'll get to have that date I've always wanted!" he replied happily. Turning around, he was about to leave, when he felt Tsunade grab his sleeve. He was quickly turned around again, and kissed fiercely on the lips.

The kiss lasted for several minutes, minutes that the two Sannin would always cherish. Pulling back, Tsunade mumbled, "That was for luck, you old pervert."

Jiraiya nodded. "And this...this is for love, Tsu-hime," he said, wrapping his bear-sized arms around the woman he loved. "I will be back. I've never lost a bet against you, after all."

Tsunade nodded, leaning into the large man's embrace. Jiraiya did not cop a feel. He did not try to look down her blouse. He simply held her. Another few minutes passed, and Jiraiya pulled away.

"Don't forget that date," he said, disappearing from the office using the Body Flicker Jutsu. Tsunade nodded, and looked out at the village, silently wishing her friend safe travels.

At that Time, with Naruto and Hinata

Naruto looked up suddenly from the book he was reading. Hinata had him reading her notes from back when she was in the academy, hoping to jump start the blond's mind some more, seeing as most of her notes were word-for-word what Iruka said during his lectures. "Is something wrong, Naruto-kun?" the blunette asked from next to him.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't know...I just get the feeling something really bad is going to happen soon," he replied. He didn't know what it was, but something had him really worried...

End Chapter Five


	6. Sage Versus God

Hanyou Memories

Disclaimer: I disclaim all that I use in this work of fanfiction, including, but not limited to, the strand of hair that always seems to be between Hanabi's eyes. How does she keep from brushing that aside? Seriously, if I had a strand of hair like that that went down the middle of my face, I'd be itching all the time!

Author's Note: I'm sorry, I'M SORRY! I really wish I had a decent excuse as to why I haven't gotten more done more quickly, as well as such an excuse for why I put three of my fics on temporary hiatus, but I honestly don't. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if the Naruto manga and/or anime ended before I got done with any of my fics! Either way, I'm VERY sorry that I kept all of you waiting. You don't know how much it irks me to not be able to post chapters often like so many other authors on this site. But, yeah, I'm sorry, readers. I'm trying, at least, so that counts for something, right?

Chapter Six

_Sage Versus God_

A few days later

Naruto and Hinata were enjoying themselves in one of the training grounds, deciding not to go to the park since the civilians there would treat them with hate as usual, and they didn't want to expose their unborn child to such feelings in case it was conscious of itself already, and had the ability they had to sense emotions in other people.

Tsunade's shadow clone sat nearby, watching her two shinobi enjoy themselves as they chased each other around the field playfully. Soon enough, they were joined by Hanabi, who wanted to spend time with her sister and her soon-to-be brother-in-law. The two half-bloods were startled out of their playtime, however, when they sensed a wonderful jolt of happiness coming from a few people nearby.

"NARUTO-NIICHAN!" three young Genin shouted, leaping down from one of the nearby trees. Hinata stood by Naruto, placing a hand on his shoulder in a calming gesture, not that it was needed. The three Genin tackle-hugged Naruto, who began laughing happily.

"Gimme a couple minutes to remember you guys fully! I've already got your names on the tip of my tongue!" he laughed heartily. The three Genin were saddened, reminded suddenly that Naruto had been reported to have lost his memories, then were startled into excitement again when Naruto pushed all three off him and pounced onto them this time, and called out, "Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon! I'm so glad to see you all again!"

Konohamaru grinned. "We knew we'd see you again, Boss! It was just a matter of time!" he exclaimed.

"We missed you!" Moegi added, nodding her head as she got out from under Naruto, along with Konohamaru and Udon.

"We bugged the Hokage so much about going to look for you, she got fed up with us and sent our team out on border patrol," Udon said, explaining why he hadn't seen them for a while.

Naruto nodded, understanding what happened. "Yeah, Tsunade-kaachan can get cranky sometimes, but she has her reasons for doing these things," he replied.

"KONOHAMARU!" Hanabi shouted, gesturing for the boy to come over to her. Konohamaru trudged over, somewhat afraid of what Hanabi would do when he got to her. To his surprise, what she did was nothing unpleasant. The small girl hugged him, mumbling, "I missed you...Something bad almost happened while you guys were gone, and...I've been having trouble dealing with it without you..."

Hinata put her hands on her hips, having heard what Hanabi said quite clearly. "Hanabi-chan, you should have come to me right away if you were having problems with that still. I care about you, and I want you to come to me if you have issues that are difficult to talk about," she scolded lightly, then turned to Naruto, and explained, "In case you haven't realized, Konohamaru and Hanabi-chan started dating while you were missing. It seems we Hyuuga maidens tend to gravitate towards knuckle-headed boys."

Hanabi frowned. "Sorry, Neechan. I...I didn't want to interrupt your time with Naruto-niichan by going to you with my problems..." she apologized softly.

Hinata smiled. "You wouldn't be a bother. Naruto-kun and I would happily help you anytime, and I'm sure Naruto wouldn't have a problem with that," she explained, then after Naruto nodded in agreement, added, "Come by sometime, and I'll brush your hair for you, like back when we were smaller."

Hanabi nodded. "Thank you...Mama..." she mumbled softly, blushing lightly.

"Mama?" Naruto questioned softly towards Hinata.

The blunette turned to Naruto and replied, "Come sit with me by that tree over there. I'll explain why she called me that while we relax."

Hanabi blushed more heavily than before, stammering out an explanation to her friends and boyfriend why she called Hinata her mother. Soon enough, Naruto and Hinata were seated under a tree, leaning against each other. "It's been a very long time since Hanabi-chan called me that," Hinata said, then continued, "a few minutes after she'd been born, our mother, Izumi Hyuuga, passed away due to a few complications, blood loss being one of them. Father was stricken with grief, and he couldn't bear it sometimes to look at us, seeing as we both resembled Mother so much. He buried himself in his work, and spent very little time with us. I, however, dealt with my grief in a more productive manner. Hanabi-chan was all I had left of Mother, and I dedicated myself to raising her."

Naruto frowned. "But you were only five years old back then. It must have been really tough..." he replied softly, feeling the pain Hinata was feeling while she described the aftermath of her mother's death.

"It was, but whenever I got down, I thought to myself, 'Hanabi needs me. This little bundle of joy is relying on _me_ to keep her happy and safe. She's a part of Mother, just like I am, and I should be happy that she's with me.' And I did become happy. Hanabi was such a joy to be around. She was tiring to take care of, yes, but she was wonderful to be around, and she filled my heart with joy so many times. Eventually, she began learning how to crawl, and put blocks on top of one another, and talk," Hinata explained, then smiled warmly, and continued, "She learned to talk so fast, and somehow, she came to think that I was 'Mama.' She was wrong, obviously, and I had to correct her to start calling me 'Neechan,' but it made me so happy when she called me that...I knew then that someday, I wanted a little one of my own. And now, thanks to you, Naruto-kun, that dream is coming true." As she said this, she took Naruto's hand with her own, and placed it over her still flat, but slightly harder than usual, belly.

Naruto smiled. "She's going to love having you as a mother, Hinata," he said happily, dropping the -chan suffix due to how close he felt to her right then.

Hinata giggled. "You know, if she turns out to be a boy, it'll be a bit tough to explain to him why we called him a she throughout his time in here," she joked.

Naruto let out a 'hmph' and crossed his arms. "You know why I'm having us call her a she. I refuse to refer to any of my children, or grandchildren for that matter, as 'it!'" he exclaimed.

Hinata nodded, remembering what happened when she had called their child 'it.' Naruto had flinched visibly, and he asked her to pick a gender, and to stick with referring to the baby as said gender. Hinata had asked why, and Naruto replied, "That's all they called me when I was kept in captivity. Either that, or 'jinchuuriki." Not sure on which gender to decide upon, Hinata took a coin and tossed it, and decided to refer to their child as if it was a girl from then on, unless she was proven to be a boy later on in the pregnancy.

"It's a good reason to not call her that, Naruto. I'm sure she'll appreciate how much you care about her. I was only joking before anyway," the blunette replied, resting her head against one of Naruto's shoulders.

Naruto smiled. "Thanks, Hinata...You're right, though, if she winds up being a he, I'm pretty sure he'll give me a hard time about it for kicks!" he laughed. Hinata giggled, and they both began chuckling lightly together.

Meanwhile, with Hanabi and the others

Konohamaru smiled, kissing Hanabi's forehead. "You tell your dad to expect a marriage proposal soon. I know we're rushing it, but I want you to know that I want to be with you, Hanabi-chan," he said happily.

Hanabi giggled, blushing. "You don't have to do that, Kono-kun. You're already so good at making me feel wanted. Let's wait another half a year, otherwise people will think weird things about us," she replied happily, then mock-glared and added, "I still expect to go on dates whenever we both have free time, though!"

Unfortunately, Hanabi's mock-glare was so close to a real one, that Konohamaru started to panic lightly. "Y-yes ma'am!" he exclaimed, saluting by instinct.

Hanabi frowned. "I did it again, didn't I? I've gotta learn how to joke around better! Oh, Konohamaru-kun, what will you do with me?" she complained.

Konohamaru grinned, recovering quickly. "How about I...take you out on a date to the ice cream parlor?" he suggested happily.

Hanabi wrapped her arms around him, grinning. "You're the best, Konohamaru-kun!" she exclaimed.

"Um, (sniff) could you make that a double date?" a nasally voice said from nearby. Konohamaru and Hanabi turned to see Udon and Moegi grinning, hand in hand.

Hanabi grinned smugly. "I was wondering when you two were going to reveal that you were a couple!" she said happily.

Moegi pouted. "You knew? For how long?" she asked.

Hanabi's grin got even wider. "Since a week before I asked this knucklehead out!" she exclaimed.

Konohamaru nearly fell over at this revelation. "Wha...How...Why didn't you tell me, Hanabi-chan?" he asked.

Hanabi smiled softly at the scarf-wearing brunet. "It wasn't my secret to tell," she explained softly, then got all excited and shouted, "Now let's go on that double date!"

The four of them walked off happily, with Tsunade's shadow clone smiling happily. "The leaves of the tree of Konoha are mingling...Do you see it, Sarutobi-sensei? Now if only that idiotic pervert were here, we might be able to make that a triple date, though I guess that'd be weird for the brats," she said to herself, chuckling lightly, then frowned and added, "I hope you're safe, wherever you are now, Jiraiya..."

The next day, somewhere in Grass Country

Jiraiya sat, hidden and waiting. Soon enough, the messenger toad he'd been waiting for summoned itself next to him. "So, will he help me out, little guy?"

The toad croaked, then replied, "Yes. Crow is waiting, and only wishes to help keep the leaves afloat."

Jiraiya nodded. "Good. Tell Crow that he will fly together with the leaves again after all this is over, if I have anything to say about it," he said.

The toad nodded, and vanished.

Somewhere in Amegakure no Sato

A hooded figure stood in an out-of-the-way alley, hidden from the constant rain by various rooftops. A familiar toad appeared in front of him, delivering its message.

'Crow' smiled. "I'm grateful. Bring him here now, please. We have little time before I'm discovered missing," he said. The toad made several hand seals, and in a miniature cloud of smoke, Jiraiya appeared.

Jiraiya grinned. "I'm glad to be the one to finally be bringing you home, Itachi," he said, then cracked his knuckles and explained, "You remember the plan, right? I bring the thunder, you bring the lightning!"

Itachi nodded, remembering the ANBU code phrase. Jiraiya would be loud and devastating, making a distraction, and Itachi would be swift and precise, killing in the shadows. "Let's go."

And so, the two S-ranked shinobi went their separate ways, preparing to do what needed to be done.

Half an hour later

Jiraiya grinned. While his role was 'thunder,' he still had to sneak around a bit, but he was pretty sure he'd be detected soon enough. It helped that he left a few Ame-nins' corpses lying in out-of-the-way places, where only shinobi would find them, and he was sure they would, with how much of a stink burnt flesh made. "This is almost too easy," he said softly, then called out, "You know, it's not nice to sneak up on people!"

A familiar voice from behind stated in an even tone, "It seems I still have to work on that, Jiraiya-sensei."

Startled, Jiraiya turned around, only to be forced to dodge a flurry of paper shuriken that somehow pierced partway through the wall behind where he'd been. Remembering his student's talent, and how to beat it, Jiraiya spat a glob of oil at his attacker. "That's no way to greet your sensei after being apart for so long, Konan," he said, remorse in his voice. "So, you joined the Akatsuki. What about the other two, Yahiko and Nagato? Even if we're enemies, it would be nice to have the team together again, and it would make me feel better to know that you all survived."

"This is as far as the 'reunion' gets, Jiraiya-sensei," another voice called out from above. Jiraiya raised his head to see a man that resembled his student Nagato slightly.

"Yeesh, when did you dye your hair, Nagato? And does this mean that Yahiko is dead? That is such a shame...I had such high hopes for you three, and look how you turned out. One dead, and the other two members of a terrorist organization. I truly have failed as your sensei," the toad sage said sadly.

Nagato frowned. "Nagato is dead, as is Yahiko. Only Pain remains. Your power is nothing against the power of Kami, Sensei. I will ask you only once. Will you join my organization?" the orange-haired man asked.

Jiraiya frowned. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. My godson and his family are counting on me to stop you, since you're targeting jinchuuriki. And I'd stop you even if Naruto wasn't one, because what you're doing isn't just!" he exclaimed.

The newly-dubbed Pain closed his eyes and shook his head. "You always were a fool, Sensei. Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Suddenly, from the wall, an enormous crab summon appeared. It sprayed a pond's worth of foam out towards Jiraiya, who barely managed to get out of the way in time. The foam filled the area for a moment, and Konan flew out of the stuff, carried by paper wings.

"Konan, stay back. I will deal with this," Pain called out. The blunette simply nodded, floating back to observe from a distance. Pain sent his crab summon back to wherever it came from, and glared at his teacher. "Here I come, Sensei."

From the same wall the crab appeared from, a dog summon appeared, with Rinnegan eyes like its master, and three heads, and it rushed at the toad sage.

"A battle of summoning, eh? Come on out, Gamaken-san!" Jiraiya shouted, hopping onto the water behind them, from which a toad equally as enormous as the three-headed dog rose, with Jiraiya on his head. Shield at the ready, Gamaken blocked the Cerberus's charge.

The multi-headed animal attempted to get away, but Gamaken wouldn't have it. "Clumsy as I am, I won't let you escape!" he shouted, then stabbed his forked mace at the beast, who howled in rage.

Pain, who sensed something was afoot elsewhere, decided to up the ante, and called back his dog. Leaping at his teacher, he placed his hands together, and summoned a pair of humans, both with Rinnegan eyes, orange hair, and strange piercings, like him.

Realizing he was outmatched, Jiraiya sent back Gamaken, and summoned stronger reinforcements. Seconds after the three enemies entered the cloud of smoke caused by the summoning technique, they were sent flying out of it.

"What the..." Pain muttered out loud, not expecting to have been knocked away so easily.

"It's been a long time, Jiraiya-chan," an elderly man's voice spoke from the smoke.

"Why'd you have to summon us now, though, lad? I was just cooking dinner!" an old woman's voice complained.

"Boss, Ma'am, I'm dealing with three Rinnegan users right now, so I need all the help I can get," he explained. The smoke cleared, and Jiraiya reappeared, but he was changed, and he wasn't alone. His eyes were like a toad's, and they had red tinting in the skin around them. His nose became large and warty, and he'd grown a decent amount of facial hair as well. On his left shoulder was a tiny frog, who appeared to have covered up the top of her head with a purple, skin-tight film, showing the bumps underneath, and wore a collared cloak around her body. On his right shoulder was a male toad, with a bit of a goatee and a spiked Mohawk on his head, more because he was missing the hair on the sides of his head than because he'd styled it that way. He, too, wore a collared cloak around his body. These two were Shima and Fukasaku, respectively. They were the toad sages of Mount Myoboku, and mentors of Jiraiya.

The human toad sage, in his new form, grinned. "Let's see you beat me and my friends in Sage Mode!" With that, he leapt backwards, onto a nearby wall, then launched at high speed at the trio of pierced men. A gargantuan orb of spiraling chakra appeared from Jiraiya's hand. "Giant Rasengan!" he shouted.

Before the enormous Rasengan could impact his enemy, though, one of the men Pain summoned stepped in front of the attack and held his hands out. The attack suddenly began to shrink, or so it seemed at first. Then it was clear that the man was absorbing the attack!

Jiraiya aborted the attack, then substituted with a stone that was nearby, and aimed a blow at Pain's head from behind. Somehow, though, the man blocked it perfectly, though only the man with long straight hair had seen the attack coming. The white-haired spy-master leapt back, thinking about what he knew of his opponent so far.

"It's like that one guy saw what I was doing, and Pain knew what I was up to just from that," Jiraiya muttered.

"You don't think their eyes are linked or something, do ya, Jiraiya-chan?" Shima asked.

"Maybe," Jiraiya replied, frowning.

Fukasaku grimaced. "Better to test it out than to just assume. He could be tracking us by sound, for all we know. Try getting that one guy near your clone from behind, but be silent and quick!" he suggested.

Jiraiya nodded, and sent a telepathic command to his clone, who leapt up from behind the man who had absorbed the Giant Rasengan earlier, about to knock his block off. The man simply held his hand out behind him, and Jiraiya's clone dispelled.

Jiraiya grinned. "I know just what to do," he said smugly, then took off running. The three men chased after him, not willing to let him get away. Soon enough, Jiraiya came upon an alleyway that opened up to an open area, with a large rock jutting out of water. Turning around quickly, knowing for a fact that his three opponents were right on his tail, he inhaled, along with Fukasaku and Shima. "Sage Art: Bath of Boiling Oil!" he shouted as he spat out a huge glob of oil, which Fukasaku and Shima heated up immensely with wind and fire techniques. The tubby man tried to absorb the technique, but since he only seemed able to absorb the chakra from techniques, the superheated oil remained, and burned him and the long-haired man alive. Pain, however, managed to dodge, and he and Jiraiya leapt out onto the rock.

"Your end is inevitable, Sensei," Pain said, then clapped his hands together, and in an enormous cloud of smoke, about as big as the smoke for one of Jiraiya's boss summons, a gigantic bull appeared. The bull immediately charged at the toad sage, aiming to trample him under its feet.

Jiraiya leapt out of the way skillfully, rolling to rise so he was facing the bull. As the beast attempted to end its charge and turn around for another, Jiraiya inhaled, preparing for one of his most devastating Fire Style attacks. "Fire Style: Giant Flame Bombs!" he called out, as a gargantuan wave of flames, about as big as the summon he was aiming to fry, flew from his mouth, hitting its target dead on. "Did we get him?" Jiraiya wondered out loud.

His answer was clear when Pain leapt from the flames, brandishing some sort of rod in a way that suggested he intended to impale Jiraiya with it. Jiraiya reached his hand out, grabbing the rod with his Sage Mode induced herculean strength, barely keeping it from stabbing him through the chest.

Fukasaku, knowing that, if Jiraiya tried to attack with his other hand, Pain would only leap away, decided on a different course of action. "Ma, let's use genjutsu!"

Shima nodded, understanding her significant other's line of thinking. For a moment, Pain only knew the sound of frogs croaking, and when he came to, he was held in a barrier jutsu by several large toads.

Pain frowned. "I was unaware you knew such a genjutsu, Jiraiya-sensei," he said, still in that same monotonous voice.

"Nagato..." Jiraiya stated softly as he looked up at his captive student. "I'm sorry it came to this. Goodbye, my pupil."

Inside the barrier, Pain, or Nagato, or whoever he had become after all his time spent as the leader of Akatsuki, gasped, feeling a sudden, inexplicable pain. And with that, Pain died.

Outside of the genjutsu, on the same rock Jiraiya and Pain had battled on

Jiraiya let go of the ornamental blade he had stabbed Pain with, letting out a sigh of relief. "Sorry I had to call you two out here," he said.

"You did what you had to, Jiraiya-chan," Fukasaku replied, then continued, "That was some fight, huh? You don't do battle with Rinnegan users everyday, now do you?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Now I just have to wait for-"

"Didn't you say never to turn your back on an enemy, Jiraiya-sensei?" A familiar voice said from behind.

Jiraiya whirled around, but was unable to do a thing when his left arm was ripped off. Falling to the ground, the perverted writer wondered what had gone wrong.

"Now, then..." a voice said, just as six men, three of them being the guys Jiraiya had just beaten, landed in formation on an outcropping above him.

"The Six Paths of Pain! In attendance!"

"What?!" Jiraiya gasped.

"Six of them? There are six Rinnegan users here?!" Shima cried out.

"How are we supposed to beat that?!" Fukasaku questioned.

Jiraiya's eyes widened upon seeing the man in front of the others. "No way...Is that you, Yahiko? Why do you have the Rinnegan?" the white haired hermit asked.

"You really are his teacher, aren't you? Sadly, no. Yahiko is dead. All that remains...is Pain," the man using Yahiko's body said ominously.

Jiraiya frowned, looking at all the other men before him. _"They're all people I've met during my travels...I know for a fact that some of those people died, though...And their eyes are all linked, I assume. The guy I fought before definitely wasn't Nagato, though, now that I think about it. He certainly didn't fight like him...If these are all dead bodies, though, then that means somebody else must be around here somewhere, pulling the strings!"_

Fukasaku looked at Jiraiya, wondering what he was up to. "Jiraiya-chan, what's wrong?"

"The real one isn't here," he muttered, then turned to Fukasaku and Shima and whispered, "If I don't make it out of this, make sure that information gets to the village, along with Itachi."

Shima frowned, and slapped Jiraiya upside the head, despite the situation. "You'd better make it back! Your godson is getting married soon, and will be having a tadpole in a while as well! There's no way you're getting out of helping him through that!" she shouted.

Jiraiya smiled grimly. "It'll take a miracle to get me out of here," he said.

"Then a miracle you shall receive, Jiraiya-sama," a voice stated, and Itachi landed between Jiraiya and the six paths of Pain.

"You..." Pain stated.

"I've completed my part of the mission, Jiraiya-sama. It's time to go home," Itachi said, summoning Susano'o to ward off their enemy.

Jiraiya grinned. "Good, now that we're all here, we can leave!" he exclaimed. Pain tried to get to them to stop them, but Itachi's Susano'o bashed the ground with its shield, and by the time the cloud of dust was gone, Pain was alone.

Meanwhile, in Konoha

Naruto grinned as he watched Hinata brush her sister's hair. The two of them seemed to be enjoying themselves, and so was he, feeling privileged to be allowed to watch this intimate family moment between the two. Slowly, he walked up behind Hinata, and upon reaching her, began running his fingers through her hair.

Hinata giggled at Naruto's actions. "I can teach you to brush my hair for real, if you want, Naruto-kun," she said softly.

Naruto's grin widened. "I'd like that, but for now, this is nice," he replied happily.

Hanabi laughed lightly. "You two are so good for each other! I can't wait till you two are married! And if that baby of yours is going to be anything like you two, I'm going to be one happy aunt!" the brunette chipped in.

Just then, Naruto sensed Tsunade's shadow clone dispelling in the other room. Getting worried, he stretched out his senses to find her in the village. He succeeded, and he sensed that near where she was, a very weak Jiraiya was holding on for dear life.

"Naruto?" Hinata questioned, sensing her mate's worry.

The blond quickly made a shadow clone, and said, "I'll be back. Ero-sennin is hurt bad. I need to make sure he gets through whatever's going on all right."

Hinata sighed. "Dispel your shadow clone. I'm coming with you," she said softly, but firmly.

Naruto nodded, doing as she said. Soon enough, they were off, Hanabi going with them as well.

At the hospital

Tsunade was doing her best not to panic as she worked on Jiraiya. Itachi had been taken by the ANBU to a holding cell, more so that people wouldn't attack him than to keep him imprisoned. If all went well, Jiraiya would be healed soon, and Itachi would be a free man again. However, for some odd reason, the wound where the old pervert's left arm used to be didn't seem to be healing up like it should.

"Gah! It...must be from that weapon of his..." Jiraiya grunted, insisting on being awake for the procedure so that he could make sure his hime was all right. "It messed up my chakra pretty bad...when I grabbed it..."

"Shut up, you old pervert! You're going to make it through this, messed up chakra or not!" Tsunade replied, refocusing her chakra to heal the injury Jiraiya was suffering from. It was too bad that they didn't have the actual arm. She may very well have been able to reattach it, with Katsuyu's help, but it was a no-go without the arm itself.

"Ero-sennin!" a voice called out from the doorway. Tsunade didn't even turn her head. She knew Naruto's voice well enough by now.

"Unless you have some kind of miracle up your sleeve, gaki, get out! I can't have too many distractions!" Tsunade grunted.

"Apologies, Hokage-sama. By the time we realized he was here, he was already through the door," the Chunin on duty at the door said.

"Don't worry about it. It just gives me all the more excuse to promote him later on," the blonde Hokage replied, then said to Naruto, "In all seriousness, though, please leave. You're very distracting."

However, Naruto seemed to be in a bit of a trance. In his mind, he saw a man, tiny compared to him somehow, missing one of his legs. He gently reached one of his claws out, which he was sure in some part of his mind weren't his, and synchronized his chakra with the man's, giving the man an aura of red chakra, which seemed to rapidly regenerate his leg. Blinking out of the trance, Naruto realized something. "I can help him!" he exclaimed suddenly, then grasped Jiraiya's remaining hand with one of his, and gently pushed some of his chakra into the man.

Jiraiya was startled for half a second, then realized he was starting to be able to feel his arm again, little by little. He noticed, idly, that he was covered in an aura of red chakra, but unlike what it once did to Naruto, it only seemed to be healing him, and not damaging him at the same time. He realized at the same time that he felt stronger with this aura, like he could take on an army and then have time to wipe the floor with Pain twice!

Naruto gasped upon realizing what he did, and what it meant. "Tsunade-kaachan...I can heal people! If I heal people so well, they might like me! They might acknowledge me!" he exclaimed, then started making shadow clone after shadow clone, who all headed out to the various rooms of the hospital, startling many as they passed, shouting how they can heal people, and that people might finally notice him in a good light.

That day was seen as a miracle by almost everybody in the village. A storm of Naruto's clones flooded the hospital, and saved the lives of hundreds, along with getting rid of minor ailments like headaches and such. By the end of the day, people were talking about how Naruto had healed everybody in the hospital. The only people he was unable to heal were those whose amputations were already healed, and even then, if they had anything else wrong with them, that was dealt with quickly.

That evening, in the Hokage's office

"That was a good thing you did, Naruto-kun," Hinata said softly, smiling warmly at the young man.

"That it was, gaki. The village owes you, and they finally realize it, too," Tsunade said happily, then added, "I hope you realize that this means I'll be calling you in to help with the tougher medical cases from now on, but I don't want to rely on you as a crutch. If I did that, my own medical skills would wane, and obviously, that's a bad thing for the village. You can't cure everything, after all, if today was anything to go by."

Naruto nodded. There had been one shinobi with internal bleeding from a mission gone wrong, and while he was able to heal the man, there had still been blood in his lungs, which a medic had been quick to expel. It seemed his healing power was limited to regeneration. "I understand, Tsunade-kaachan," he replied, then continued, "But you should have seen everybody's faces! They looked so happy! And I made that happen! They all _thanked_ me! It...It was great! For a while, I was considering taking Hinata and leaving the village after our baby was born, but now...we just might have a chance at a happy, normal life!"

Tsunade was startled. "Since when were you planning that?" she asked, somewhat offended that Naruto wouldn't come to her with this information.

Hinata frowned. "It started when that one drunk that we ran across one night last week said how he was going to kill our baby before she was born, and how she was a 'demon spawn.' We didn't want our baby growing up being hurt by such prejudice," she explained sadly, then smiled and said, "But that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. People are starting to realize what a good person Naruto is, and therefore, our baby should be just fine growing up in the village, whether she looks part fox or not."

Jiraiya, who was standing nearby, still missing his left sleeve, grinned. "I'm really glad you guys won't be leaving. If you had gone, I just might have been tempted to leave with you! But that would have been hard, leaving my hime behind!" he said, then turned to said hime, and added, "We still have that date to go on, by the way!"

Tsunade sighed. "Pick me up tomorrow at five thirty. Let's go somewhere fancy," she said with a smirk.

Jiraiya grinned. "It'll be really fancy, don't worry!"

An ANBU suddenly appeared in the room. "We have Itachi Uchiha here, ready for his mission debriefing," the masked agent said.

"Itachi Uchiha? He has a mission debriefing?" Hinata wondered out loud.

Tsunade nodded. "Don't worry. He's not as evil as everybody has been led to believe," she told Hinata, then turned to the ANBU at the door and said, "Bring him in."

The ANBU nodded, and Itachi entered, wearing the standard Konoha ANBU uniform. "You two might want to leave. I'll be heading home in a bit, hopefully," Tsunade said to Naruto and Hinata.

The two nodded, and while they were tempted to stay, since they worried for Tsunade and Jiraiya's safety, decided that the two of them knew what they were doing, and headed off for home. Tsunade turned to Itachi, and said, "Report, agent Crow."

"My half of the mission, while partially successful, also revealed some startling news, which I will get to shortly. I managed to kill Deidara of Iwa, and force the masked Sharingan user to destroy his eyes via Tsukuyomi, but he, Zetsu, and Kisame got away. I managed to glean some of their plans off the masked man, due to his habit of monologuing, and it's not good. He intends to take all of the Biju, combine them into a beast of old, called the Jubi, become its jinchuuriki, and use its power to cast an endless Tsukuyomi on the planet by reflecting it from the moon, essentially bringing 'peace' by making the world a slave to an illusion. That's not the most disturbing part, however. When I forced the man to destroy his eyes, he removed his mask to do so," Itachi explained, then added, with sadness in his voice, "The masked man is really...Obito Uchiha."

End Chapter Six


End file.
